liiAs  '       '^-  -'         ' 


s.  %o.n 


*^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  ^ 

Purchased   by  the   Hamill   Missionary   Fund. 


BV  3415  .D4  1911 
De  Gruch  e,  Kingston. 
Doctor  Apricot  of  "Heaven- 
below." 


DR.  APRICOT 
OF  ''HEAVEN  BELOW" 


/?.  x^ 


Fl'OHlisjjicCt. 


<0^^  OF  PJi^. 
MAY  :^ 0  1911 


DOCTOR  APRICO 
OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW 


^be  ©toil?  of  tbe 
IbanQCbow  fIDe&ical  flDiesion  (C^flD.SO 


BY. 


KINGSTON    DE    GRUCHE 

Author  of  ''Beside  the  Red  Mountain'^ 
''Edith  Stanton's  Opportunity'' 


FLEMING    H.    REVELL   COMPANY 
NEW  YORK    :    CHICAGO    :    TORONTO 


FOREWORD 

THIS  story  is  written  with  the  object  of  bringing  the 
Medical  Mission  work  at  Hangchow  ("  Heaven- 
Below  ")  more  prominently  before  the  public  in  the 
hope  of  arousing  a  keener  and  more  practical  interest  in 
the  important  and  far-reaching  work  we  have  been 
carrying  on  there  during  the  last  twenty-eight  years. 

It  is  written  by  a  warm-hearted  and  enthusiastic  friend 
who  was  for  some  years  in  actual  work  among  the 
Chinese,  and  while  in  China  visited  Hangchow  and  made 
herself  well  acquainted  with  the  main  facts  of  our  work 
and  has  ever  since  taken  a  hearty  interest  in  it. 

The  incidents  which  are  related  as  illustrating  the 
character  of  the  work,  as  well  as  some  of  its  results,  are 
actual  facts,  and  are  but  specimens  of  the  numerous 
cases  dealt  with  from  day  to  day  in  its  various  branches. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  narrative  of  the  work  in  this  form 
will  interest  many  in  Medical  Missions,  which  are  not  a 
mere  adjunct  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
heathen,  but  an  essential  and  integral  part  of  the  church's 
mission. 

When  we  remember  past  years  we  are  thankful  for  what 
has  already  been  accomplished,  but  there  remains  very 
much  yet  to  be  done,  not  only  in  extension,  but  in  con- 
solidation, and  we  hope  the  readers  of  this  book  will 


vi  FOREWORD 

encourage  us  by  that  form  of  sympathy  which   shows 
itself  in  practical  assistance. 

We  want  more  men  and  women  to  help  us  in  the  work ; 
there  is  urgent  need  for  all  the  buildings  to  be  overhauled 
(some  rebuilt),  brought  up  to  date  and  fully  equipped ; 
and  a  large  sum  of  money  is  required  annually  for  the 
support  of  beds,  assistants,  nurses,  students,  &c. 

May  God  abundantly  bless  this  book  and  grant  that 
it  may  be  used  to  stir  up  some  to  consecrate  their  lives 
to  the  work  of  the  Medical  Mission  of  which  it  tells,  and 
lead  others  who  cannot  themselves  go  to  give  of  their 
means  to  maintain  and  extend  the  work  in  this  marvellous 
day  of  opportunity  in  China. 

D.  Duncan  Main. 


Contributions  for  any  of  the  above  objects  may  be  sent  to 
Dr.  D.  D.  Main,  c/o  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  Salisbury 
Square,  London,  E.C. 


PREFACE 

"  A  grain  of  mustard  seed  ....  which  indeed  is  the  least  of 
all  seeds,  but  when  it  is  grown  it  is  the  greatest  among  herbs,  and 
becometh  a  tree,  so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and  lodge  in  the 
branches  thereof." 

ABOUT  fifty  years  ago  a  gentleman  in  Government 
employ  in  India,  an  Inspector  of  Opium  Manufac- 
ture at  Malwa,  felt  so  pricked  in  his  conscience 
concerning  his  share  in  the  traffic  of  opium,  that  he 
resolved  to  resign  his  office  and  cleanse  himself  by 
devoting  the  savings  of  his  official  career  (something 
over  ;f  3,000)  to  the  relief  of  opium  victims  in  China. 

In  the  providence  of  God  this  money  came  into  the 
hands  of  missionary  workers  in  Mid-China  just  as  a  special 
opportunity  occurred  of  helping  a  number  of  poor 
creatures  thus  victimised  who  desired  to  break  the  snare 
which  enthralled  them. 

This  led  to  the  establishment,  ten  years  later,  of  an 
Opium  Refuge,  at  Hang-chow,  which  has  expanded  into 
the  splendid  Hospital,  with  its  numerous  branch  institu- 
tions, where  Dr.  Main  and  his  colleagues  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  now  carry  on  a  most  successful 
Medical  Mission  ;  like  to  the  grain  of  mustard  seed,  which 
grew  until  it  became  a  great  tree  and  a  refuge  to  many 
who  took  shelter  under  its  branches. 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

The  following  story  illustrates  the  work  which  grew 
out  of  the  above  incident,  and  shows  how  the  right  action 
of  one  man,  over  fifty  years  ago,  led  to  the  blessing  of 
many  thousands  in  both  body  and  soul. 

The  Chinese  names  of  the  JCuropean  workers,  as  well 
as  the  names  of  most  of  the  natives,  who  figure  in  the 
story,  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  translated  into 
English. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 
Relates  how  the  European  doctor's  olfactory  organ  gains  new 
experience  during  his   first    walk  through    the   streets  of 
"  Heaven- Helow"  to  the  scene  of  his  future  laljour        .         .         i 

CHAPTER   n 

The  new  doctor  begins  wcjrk  under  difficulties,  but  decides  that 
each  stumbling  l)lock  must  be  made  a  stepping-stone  to  a 
new    hospital. 9 

CHAPTER    III 

Explains  how  Doctor  A|)ricot  succeeded  in  obtaining  some  funds 

and  then  added  t(j  them  by  increasing  his  occupations.         .       22 

CHAPTER  IV 
The    Hospital  of  "Universal  Benevolence"  has  its  foundation 
laid  with  prayer,  its  walls  rise  wilii  ho[)c  and  its  roof  goes 
on  with  praise.         .........       32 

CHAPTER    V 
Gives  some  account  of  the   opium  trade    with  China  and    its 
degrading  influence  on  the  people.         The    Honourable    Li 
gives  hisopinicjn  and  helps  to  provide  means  for  enlarging 
the  Opium  Refuge 41 

CHAPTER  VI 

Explains  why  late  hours  are   necessary     though    they     beget 

troubled  days,  with  tears  at  midday  and  smiles  at  midnight.       48 

CHAPTER  VII 
The  consecrated  home-life  and  home-joy  acts  as  a  "  cheer  up  "  to 
a  weary  worker  ;  and  Amah's  message  nerves  her  spirit  for 

fresh   effort.  61 

ix 


X  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  VIII  PAGE 

Shadow  and  sunshine  visit  the  home  and  hospital,  but  by  faithful 
prayer  to  God  above,  and  by  the  ceaseless  work  of  man 
below,  the  clouds  pass,  albeit  homes  are  emptied  and 
graves  are  filled,  ere  the  sun  shines   once  more.        .        .      69 

CHAPTER  IX 
Gives  some  illustrations  of  Chinese  ideas  upon  the  value  of 
human  existence,  and  of  the  peculiar  characteristic,  which 
shews  itself  in  the  losing  of  one's  life  in  order  to  save  one's 
face 78 

CHAPTER  X 
Shows  how  love  and  gentleness  sweep    away   darkness    and 
superstition,  and  how  young  lives,  begun  in  adversity  and 
sorrow,  blossom   into  happiness  and  beauty    when   taken 
into  the  Home 85 

CHAPTER  XI 

Shows  how  the  general  working  of  the  hospital  has  grown  to  be 
a  formidable  undertaking,  both  practically  and  financially. 
Tells  also  how  the  doctor's  knee  was  massaged  to  the  amuse- 
ment of  his  wife,  and  how  the  doctor's  wife  was  "  warded  "  to 
the  anxiety  of  her  husband. 95 

CHAPTER  XII 
Gives  some  account  of  Chinese  women,  their  social  position,  their 
trials  and  sorrows ;  and  tells  how   Mrs.  Apricot,  aided  by 
some  intelligent    Chinese  ladies,  endeavoured  to  succour 
them  in  their  need 108 

CHAPTER  XIH 
Contains  some  remarks  on  native  doctors,  and  tells  how  easily  a 
man  passes  from  a  cook  to  a  doctor,  from  a  bottle-washer 
to  a  druggist ;  also  gives  some  account  of  the  Training  of 
students  in  Western  Medicine ;  and  of  a  new  treatment 
which  causes  much  astonishment  to  the  natives.  .        .114 

CHAPTER  XIV 
Gives  some  information  concerning  the  Chinese  opium  reform, 
and  shews  the  connecting  link  between  it  and  the  affectionate 
farewell  accorded  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot  on  their  return 
home  for  their  third  furlough.  Shews  also  the  tree  fully 
grown.  129 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


D.  Duncan  Main 


Dr.  Apricot's  House  .... 

Hospital  of  "  Universal  Benevolence,"  Hangchow 

A   Patient  in  Hangchow   Hospital   when    he    was    eighteen 

months  old  .... 

A  Group  of  Christian  Lepers 
Group  of  Patients  .... 

"Cock-a-doodle-doo,"  now  Assistant  Dispenser 
Children's  Home    ..... 
Maternity  Students  .... 

Seven  Students  Recently  Graduated 
New  China.    A  Patient  and  Friend 
Dr.  Liu,  Wife  and  Child. 
"A  great  tree  whose  leaves    are    for    the    healing    of    the 

Chinese  nation "  ,  .  . 


Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 
lO 


32 

35 
51 
71 
86 

93 

III 
123 
130 
133 

135 


CHAPTER    I 

RELATES  HOW  THE  EUROPEAN  ^DOCTOR'S  OLFACTORY 
ORGAN  GAINS  NEW  EXPERIENCE  DURING  HIS  FIRST 
WALK  THROUGH  THE  STREETS  OF  '*  HEAVEN-BELOW  " 
TO  THE    SCENE   OF   HIS   FUTURE   LABOURS. 

THE  winter  day  was  drawing  to   a   close   when   Dr. 
Apricot  and  his  wife  were  welcomed  at  the  Mission 
House   in    "  Heaven-Below "    by    Mr.     and     Mrs. 
Greyman. 

After  the  discomforts  of  a  long  journey  of  many  weeks, 
it  was  some  considerable  relief  to  find  themselves  in  the 
city  of  their  future  work,  albeit  not  yet  in  their  own 
home. 

The  cheerful  fire  and  warm  welcome  accorded  to  them 
by  their  fellow  missionaries  soon  helped  them  to  forget 
the  severe  cold  and  other  miseries  which  during  the  latter 
part  of  their  voyage  had  of  necessity  been  theirs. 

All  things  seemed  very  strange,  nevertheless.  The 
large  rooms,  built  for  the  great  heat  of  the  intensely 
hot  summer,  struck  the  newcomers  as  cold  indeed  when 
they  were  not  in  close  proximity  to  the  fire.  The  Chinese 
men-servants  in  their  long  blue  coats,  and  their  warm 
padded  cotton-wool  undercoats,  looked  fat  and  important : 
with  their  shaved  head  and  bland  smile,  long  queue,  and 
dignified  way  of  doing  their  work,  they  impressed  the 
new  missionaries  as  wonderfully  clever  and  awe  inspiring. 
They  forgot  for  the  moment  that  these  servants  had  been 
trained  for  some  years  in  the  routine  they  were  now  so 
used  to  and  more  or  less  perfect  in. 

^  B 


2        DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

After  a  more  than  welcome  wash,  which  had  to  take 
the  place  of  several  ablutions  which  had  been  missed 
owing  to  the  severity  of  the  cold  and  the  lack  of  privacy 
when  travelling,  the  new  arrivals  returned  to  the  sitting 
room  refreshed  and  hungry  enough  to  enjoy  the  hospitable 
meal  which  awaited  them. 

The  English  mail  which  had  accompanied  the  Doctor 
and  his  wife  was  perforce  kept  in  the  background  by  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Greyman,  that  they  might  play  their  part  as  host 
and  hostess  to  the  tired  travellers,  who  were  glad  to 
shorten  their  evening  by  an  early  retirement  to  bed. 

After  breakfast  the  following  morning,  the  Senior 
Missionary  begged  to  be  excused  while  he  went  to  inter- 
view an  importunate  Chinaman,  but  when  he  was  free 
therefrom,  he  would  be  at  Dr.  Apricot's  disposal  to  shew 
him  the  city  of  "  Heaven-Below." 

Mrs.  Greyman  also  excused  herself  while  she  inter- 
viewed her  Chinese  factotum  and  gave  him  the  orders  for 
the  day,  he  being  the  responsible  person  for  buying 
everything  used  in  the  establishment,  as  well  as  the  cook 
and  general  overseer  of  the  other  servants,  when  he  had 
spare  time  from  his  own  particular  duties. 

So  the  doctor  and  his  wife  were  left  alone,  and  they 
looked  in  each  other's  faces  for  a  moment  and  read  each 
other's  thought,  which  the  doctor  expressed  by  saying 
with  a  smile  : 

"  The  letters  don't  come  here  every  morning,  you  know, 
Gertie  ;  we  have  left  a  morning  post  and  daily  newspaper 
behind  us  for  seven  or  eight  years." 

His  wife  was  sitting  on  the  fender  trying  to  get  warm, 
and  looked  up  at  him  : 

"  Oh,  Charles,  how  funny !  Were  you  longing  for 
home  letters  too  ?  "  she  replied. 

The  shadow  of  something  in  his  wife's  face  made  him 
say,  "  Cheer  up,  Gertie  !  " 

"  Well,  what  shall  we  do  ?  "  inquired  his  wife. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "        3 

"  Let  us  be  off  to  our  rooms  and  unpack  while  we  have 
the  opportunity,"  said  the  doctor,  ''  for  we  shall  probably 
have  to  live  here  until  we  can  speak  the  language 
sufficiently  to  manage  Chinese  housekeeping  for  our- 
selves." 

They  had  just  finished  the  unpacking  and  arranging  of 
their  things  when  Mr.  Greyman  announced  that  he  was 
at  liberty  to  shew  the  Doctor  the  Mission  premises,  and 
especially  the  Opium  Refuge  which  was  to  be  the  scene 
of  his  future  work. 

The  worst  slums  of  Edinburgh,  Liverpool,  or  London, 
even  thirty  years  ago,  were  paradise  itself  for  cleanliness 
and  fresh  air,  compared  with  the  sights  and  smells  which 
greeted  the  new  comer  in  the  slums  of  that  Chinese  city. 

The  older  Missionary,  now  inured  more  or  less  to  what 
they  were  passing  through,  glanced  round  at  the  Doctor, 
expecting  to  see  disgust  and  discomfort  depicted  upon  his 
inexperienced  face,  but  to  his  surprise  he  saw  the  new 
recruit  had  his  eyes  very  wide  open,  albeit  a  merry  twinkle 
lurked  therein  as  usual,  and  his  mouth  severely  shut,  as 
became  a  man  who  had  just  arrived  with  the  latest 
medical  knowledge  at  his  finger  tips,  and  knew  that 
breathing  such  a  loaded  atmosphere,  if  it  must  be 
breathed,  should  be  through  the  nose,  rather  than 
through  the  mouth. 

I  wish  I  could  allow  my  readers  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of 
these  concentrated  smells,  that  they  might  be  able  to 
sympathise  with  the  Missionaries  who,  "  not  counting 
their  lives  dear  unto  them,"  go  forth  to  live  in  the  midst 
of  such  conditions.  But  even  if  I  could  write  the  smells, 
and  even  if  a  printer  could  print  them,  no  publisher  would 
be  allowed  by  our  English  Sanitary  Authorities  to  publish 
them,  so  I  mast  try  instead  to  describe  the  city  streets 
vividly  enough  to  help  people  with  an  ordinary  imagina- 
tion to  realize  in  some  small  measure  what  might  be  ex- 
pected from  such  surroundings. 


4        DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW  " 

The  city  of  "  Heaven-Below "  had  a  population  of 
nearly  half-a-million.  It  had  suffered  much  in  the 
T'ai-ping  rebellion,  and  was  taken  by  the  rebels  in 
1862.  Even  in  the  eighties,  the  time  when  our  story 
commences,  there  were  devastated  parts  of  the  city  which 
had  never  been  rebuilt. 

One  waste  area,  commonly  called  "  The  crooked-large- 
square-chief,"  must  have  covered  some  scores  of  acres, 
having  only  an  odd  group  of  small  mud  huts  here  and 
there. 

Mr.  Greyman  gave  the  young  doctor  much  historical 
information  of  those  never-to-be-forgotten  times  as  they 
walked  along. 

The  name  of  *'  Chinese  Gordon,"  as  from  time  to  time 
it  passed  his  lips,  was  evidently  well  known  to  the  man 
in  the  street,  who  would  stop  and  nod  his  head,  smiling 
and  saying,  "  Chinese  Gordon.  Ah  !  Number  one  Great 
General.     Ah     just  so." 

*'  And  this  is  the  city  of '  Heaven-Below.'  How  vastly 
below !  "  the  young  doctor  said  to  himself,  as  he  followed 
the  senior  Missionary  often  in  single  file  through  those 
narrow  streets. 

The  houses  were  of  the  usual  Chinese  style  with  curled 
roofs ;  the  largest  buildings,  next  to  the  temples,  being 
the  Ya-Mens  and  the  pawn-shops.  In  the  latter,  the 
winter  clothes  of  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  are 
stored  during  the  summer,  and  the  summer  clothing 
during  the  winter. 

Various  shops,  all  open  to  the  street,  having  no  glass 
fronts,  lined  each  side  of  the  narrow  thoroughfare  ;  drains 
(where  there  were  any)  were  all  open  to  eye  and  nose. 
Men  carrying  pails  containing  sewage  from  the  houses, 
as  well  as  other  traffic,  passed  to  and  fro  constantly  ; 
prisoners  wearing  the  cangue  {i.e.,  wooden  collar)  were 
seen  chained  to  the  fronts  of  houses  where  they  had  com- 
mitted some  robbery  for  which  they  were  thus  punished. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "         5 

A  man's  head  in  a  cage,  hung  up  as  a  warning  to  other 
evil-doers,  looked  and  smelt  ghastly  in  the  sunshine. 
Beggars,  more  filthy  than  any  he  had  ever  dreamed  of, 
knocked  up  against  him  in  the  crowd,  or  sat  begging  in 
the  more  open  quarters  of  the  city,  behaving  more  filthily 
than  he  ever  thought  the  human  mind  could  have 
conceived.  Diseased  people  of  every  sort  mixed  freely  in 
the  crowds ;  open  sores  exposed  to  the  cold  and  dust  and 
microbes,  made  him  think  of  the  Dublin  jarvey  who, 
when  asked  to  explain  why  doctors  used  formerly  to  send 
patients  to  live  on  the  banks  of  the  Liffey,  where  the 
odours  were  so  dreadful  that  people  in  good  health  could 
hardly  endure  them,  said,  "Ah  !  sure  the  smells  is  that 
bad  they  kill  all  the  germs." 

Little  children,  maimed  and  lamed,  seemed  to  fill  any 
crevices  not  already  filled  with  adults  ;  and  the  streams 
of  people  pushing  and  jostling  one  another  w^ere  only 
varied,  and  that  for  the  worse,  when  sedan-chairs  were 
carried  by,  and  the  impact  of  the  crowd  increased. 

The  Church  and  Catechist  were  first  visited,  and  the 
young  doctor  heard  how  the  original  church  had  been 
destroyed  and  the  Mission  work  abandoned  for  a  time 
and  that  the  present  building  was  opened  in  1871. 

Not  being  able  to  speak  to  Mr.  Tse,  the  catechist,  and 
his  small  son,  "  Fragrant  Lily,"  Dr.  Apricot  smiled  and 
bowed  after  the  manner  of  Mr.  Greyman,  and  patted 
*'  Fragrant  Lily "  on  the  head.  Mrs.  Tse  had  not 
expected  visitors  and  hid  herself,  not  having  time  to  put 
on  the  glory  of  her  many-coloured  best  clothes. 

Then  they  passed  through  more  narrow  dirty  streets  till 
they  came  to  the  Opium  Hospital  or  Refuge.  This  was 
a  small  two-storied  building  having  four  wards  in  which, 
small  as  they  were,  fifteen  to  twenty  patients  had  been 
treated  at  a  time  during  the  seventies  when  a  resident 
medical  man  had  been  in  charge  for  a  few  years,  while 
some  three  or  four  thousand  out-patients  had  been  treated 


6        DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  '' HEAVEN-BELOW" 

annually  in  the  room  used  below  as  a  dispensary  during 
that  time.  The  doctor  had  been  obliged  to  return  home 
about  three  years  previously  on  account  of  his  wife's 
health,  but  the  return  was,  alas,  made  too  late  to  save  her 
life. 

So  here  was  the  little  building,  empty  it  is  true  not  over 
clean,  also,  but  when  put  into  good  condition  as  regards 
the  latter  point,  to  what  possibilities  would  it  lend  itself? 
What  would  that  building  and  its  future  occupants 
become  as  a  factor  in  his  life  ?  thought  the  new-comer. 

And  as  the  young  doctor,  in  the  freshness  of  his  first 
zeal  and  consecration,  stood  looking  at  the  sphere  of  work 
he  had  come  out  to,  and  for  which  the  devil  suggested  to 
him  "he  had  left  what  would  have  been  a  lucrative  career  at 
home,"  he  quickly  repelled  the  evil  suggestion  by  there 
and  then,  in  his  own  heart,  reconsecrating  himself  to  God 
for  the  upraising  and  helping  of  the  poor  people  among 
whom  he  had  come  to  dwell. 

Mr.  Greyman  looked  at  his  silent  companion  and  wished 
he  would  overflow  and  speak  of  his  desires  and  aspirations 
for  the  work  ;  but  Dr.  Apricot  having  much  power  of 
discernment,  saw  that  it  would  not  only  be  premature  on 
his  part  to  speak  of  alterations,  but  that  his  doing  so 
would  probably  prejudice  him  in  the  eyes  of  the  older 
workers  who  for  so  many  years  had  been  bearing  the 
"  burden  and  heat  of  the  day."  *'  Time  enough,"  thought 
he,  "  when  I  feel  my  feet  under  me,  and  have  climbed 
some  way  up  the  Great  Wall  of  the  Chinese  language, 
which  at  present  separates  me  from  so  many  thousands  of 
my  fellow-beings."  "  By  my  God  must  I  leap  over  this 
w^all,"  he  thought,  adapting  Psalm  xviii.  29  to  his  present 
need. 

How  long  he  stood  there  on  the  narrow  path  between 
the  frozen  shrubs,  gazing  at  the  small  building  before  him, 
Dr.  Apricot  could  not  have  told  anyone.  Mr.  Greyman 
had  moved  away  to  speak  to  a  passer  by,  and  when  he 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"         7 

returned  Dr.  Apricot  was  making  an  entry  in  his  note- 
book. 

"  When  can  I  begin  the  language  ?  "  asked  he  of  the 
Senior  Missionary. 

"  To-morrow  morning — we  have  secured  teachers  for 
both  you  and  Mrs.  Apricot.  You  can  read  on  the  verandah 
outside  your  own  room,  a  table  and  a  couple  of  chairs  will 
have  been  put  there  to-day,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  had  better 
read  with  her  teacher  in  the  dining-room  between  break- 
fast and  tiffin  (lunch),  where  she  will  be  warmer." 

When  they  returned  to  the  Mission  house,  they  found 
the  ladies  had  gone  to  see  a  Biblewoman  who  was  in 
trouble,  and  had  not  yet  returned.  They  all  assembled, 
however,  in  time  for  "  tiffin,"  as  the  midday  meal  was 
termed. 

In  the  afternoon  the  other  Missionaries  living  in  the 
city  came  to  be  introduced  to  the  new-comers,  some 
remaining  to  the  evening  meal  and  later  still  to  evening 
worship. 

They  all  fell  in  love  with  the  pretty  bride  with  her  blue 
eyes  and  fair  wavy  hair,  and  wondered  how  the  pink  roses 
in  her  cheeks  would  wear  in  the  hot  months  of  the  coming 
Chinese  summer. 

One  lady,  in  sombre  garments  and  an  equally  sombre 
face,  as  gently  as  she  could  without  as  she  trusted  hurting 
the  young  bride's  feelings,  "  hoped  all  her  dresses  were  not 
so  pretty ;  for  work  among  the  heathen,  the  plainer  the 
material  and  make  the  better." 

How  little  any  of  those  present  at  all  realized  that  a 
new  type  of  Missionary  had  arrived  upon  the  scene,  who 
would  introduce,  not  a  different  Gospel,  or  a  new  way  of 
salvation,  but  a  more  natural — healthily  natural — life,  a 
more  energetic  outdoor  life,  more  home-like  than  had  yet 
asserted  itself  in  their  midst.  And  who  present  that  after- 
noon could  anticipate  the  new  world  of  interest,  medical 
and    religious,    that    would    develop    under    the    hard 


8         DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

work  and  indefatigable  zeal  of  the  new  doctor  and  his 
wife. 

When  at  last  they  reached  the  privacy  of  their  own 
room,  Mrs.  Apricot  and  her  husband  exchanged  confi- 
dences. 

"They  are  excellent  people,  Gertie,  but  need  a  little  fun 
to  make  them  more  natural." 

"  Oh  !  Charles,  how  like  you,  and  I  have  been  admiring 
them  so  much,  and  wondering  if  I  could  alter  my  dresses 
and  flatten  my  hair  to  look  more  like  dear  Mrs.  Greyman," 
replied  the  young  wife  wistfully. 

"  Now,  Gertie,  leave  your  little  head  alone,  and  wear 
your  clothes  just  as  they  are,  they  suit  you  better  so. 
Think  how  it  will  rest  me  coming  in  from  the  sights  and 
the  smells  of  my  work  to  see  my  bright  little  wife  sweet 
and  fresh  as  she  always  is." 

*'  But,  Charles,  do  be  serious,"  she  began — 

**  My  beloved,  I  am  as  serious  as  I  can  be.  Don't 
worry  your  mind  about  these  things,  be  the  bright, 
happy  little  woman  God  made  you,  and  do  the  work  that 
falls  to  you  in  your  own  way,  and  in  time  your  influence 
will  tell  in  its  own  line.  It  would  not  be  natural  for  you 
to  be  like  Mrs.  Greyman.  She  is  an  excellent  missionary 
and  has  her  own  sphere  of  influence  which  she  exercises 
in  a  way  natural  to  her."  *'  We  must  belong  to  the 
*  Cheer  Up'  Society  from  this  day  forth,"  he  said,  **a 
secret  society  of  our  own." 

**  How  like  the  Chinese,  Charlie,"  and  she  laughed 
softly — "  I  was  told  to-day  China  is  honeycombed  with 
secret  societies,  and  you  are  here  only  twenty-four  hours 
and  have  already  started  a  secret  society  of  your  own," 


CHAPTER   II 

THE  NEW  DOCTOR  BEGINS  WORK  UNDER  DIFFICULTIES, 
BUT  DECIDES  THAT  EACH  STUMBLING  BLOCK  MUST 
BE    MADE    A    STEPPING-STONE    TO    A    NEW    HOSPITAL. 

THE  first  three  weeks  had  passed  swiftly  away  for  the 
doctor  and  his  wife ;  each  day  had  been  filled  with 
some  hours  of  language  study,  and  if  at  times  the 
Chinese  language  seemed  like  an  impenetrable  wall  be- 
tween them  and  the  natives,  and  their  hearts  seemed 
to  sink  within  them,  the  doctor  would  cheerily  rise  to  the 
occasion  with  some  fun  or  jest  and  they  would  sit  down 
again  more  hopefully  to  the  next  lesson. 

One  day  when  a  mistake  of  tone  in  saying  a  word 
created  some  momentary  merriment  at  the  expense  of  the 
doctor,  he  joined  in  the  laugh  as  heartily  as  any  one 
present,  and  a  moment  later  asked,  ''When  do  four  p's 
in  succession  lead  to  a  fifth  ?  " 

As  no  one  could  at  the  instant  reply,  he  continued, 
*'  By  perpetual  prayer  and  patient  perseverance,  pro- 
ficiency is  attained  even  in  the  Chinese  language." 

**  Good  !  "  said  the  Senior  Missionary  "  that  is  exactly 
the  spirit  to  maintain  and  you  will  wrestle  through 
in  time." 

The  dispensary  and  small  hospital  were  during  these 
weeks  undergoing  a  thorough  cleaning  preparatory  to 
re-opening. 

The  house  occupied  by  the  last  doctor  who  had  worked 
the  hospital,  was  now  occupied  by  a  Missionary  and  his 


10      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

wife  who  were  removing  in  a  few  weeks  to  an  out  station 
further  inland. 

It  was  thought  wise  however  that  before  the  dispensary 
was  opened  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot  should  take  up  residence 
in  the  house  in  the  medical  compound.  And  as  house- 
keeping is  so  differently  managed  in  China  from  house- 
keeping at  home,  it  was  considered  a  good  plan  for  Mrs. 
Apricot  to  add  to  her  Chinese  study  Chinese  housekeep- 
ing, that  she  might  have  less  difficulty  when  the  menage 
would  be  under  her  own  control. 

As  the  language  was  his  primary  duty  Dr.  Apricot  only 
opened  the  dispensary  twice  a  week,  and  the  small 
hospital  wards  above  it  were  again  opened  for  a  few 
Opium  cases  and  some  general  cases,  which  it  otherwise 
would  have  been  no  use  treating. 

Mr.  Steadman,  their  host,  a  kind  brotherly  man,  acted 
as  interpreter,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  acted  as  nurse  and 
dresser  to  the  women,  and  the  out-patients. 

After  the  spring  day  which  saw  the  departure  of  their 
host  and  hostess  for  their  new  sphere  of  work,  the  doctor 
and  his  wife  felt  indeed  alone.  The  servants  who  had  so 
far  waited  upon  them  accompanied  the  Steadmans  to 
their  out-station  aforementioned  and  some  raw  Chinese 
young  men,  for  a  very  small  wage,  agreed  to  come  in,  and 
keep  the  house  clean  and  make  themselves  generally 
useful. 

The  cook,  **  Obedient  Service,"  who  had  been  highly 
recommended  by  someone  in  the  Mission,  thinking  the 
young  couple  would  take  for  granted  all  he  did  as  correct 
and  proper,  took  advantage  of  their  lack  of  the  Chinese 
language  and  inexperience  of  the  country,  and  added  to 
their  difficulties  in  numerous  ways. 

Ultimately  *'  Obedient  Service,"  having  frequently 
proved  himself  t//sobedient  and  untrustworthy,  was  dis- 
charged, and  for  a  short  time  it  seemed  as  if  their 
difficulties  were  increased. 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       ii 

At  last  an  out-patient,  who  had  quickly  recovered  from 
some  small  wounds  through  the  surgical  help  rendered 
him  by  the  doctor,  heard  of  their  need  for  another  coolie 
and  offered  to  come  and  do  his  best. 

"  Arrived-late  "  (for  such  was  the  man's  name)  was  a 
willing,  good-tempered,  and  obedient  fellow,  and  must 
have  been  born  a  cook,  for  he  learnt  so  quickly  and  so 
well  to  prepare  European  meals  that  he  became  a  great 
authority  on  English  cooking  among  the  servants  of  the 
foreigners,  and  was  for  many  years  the  reliable  friend  and 
servant  of  the  doctor  and  his  wife.  Much  responsibility 
has  to  be  put  upon  the  head-servant  in  a  mission  house 
where  both  master  and  mistress  spend  all  their  time 
doing  the  work  of  Him  Who  sent  them.  Chinese 
servants  are  of  course  utterly  raw  and  ignorant  of 
European  ways  and  methods  to  begin  with,  but  if 
pains  are  taken  at  first  to  teach  them  firmly  and  kindly, 
no  better  servants  can  be  found  than  they  turn  out 
to  be.  The  necessity  for  cleanliness  and  tidiness,  both 
in  their  person  and  in  their  work,  has  to  be  taught. 
Still,  all  things  considered,  the  doctor  and  his  wife  were 
often  astonished  how  soon  these  difficulties  were  over- 
come, and  with  what  faithfulness  their  own  servants 
served  them. 

The  Dispensary  work  in  the  mornings,  though  very 
light  during  the  cold  weather,  increased  as  the  warmer 
weather  came  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  became  a  very 
formidable  undertaking.  As  many  as  200  or  250  out- 
patients would  crowd  round  the  gate,  long  before  it  was 
time  to  open  the  dispensary. 

As  the  hours  of  those  hot  mornings  passed  swiftly 
away,  each  individual  was  interviewed  by  the  doctor, 
his  case  diagnosed,  prescriptions  written,  or  dressings 
ordered,  all  of  which  were  attended  to  by  the  doctor's 
wife  and  the  native  assistant,  under  the  doctor's  super- 
vision.    He  was  thus  training  his  wife  and  the  Chinese 


12       DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

helper,  the  former  having  a  gift  for  doctoring  and  nursing, 
and  the  latter  showing  much  aptitude  for  copying  any- 
thing he  saw  done  in  the  way  of  dressings,  and  having 
developed  the  grace  of  obedience,  a  charming  and 
essential  quality  in  a  beginner,  which  was  no  doubt  much 
appreciated  by  the  doctor,  whose  hands  were  more  than 
full  at  this  time. 

And  to  one  and  all  of  the  motley  crowd  the  Gospel  was 
preached  by  the  catechist.  No  one  passed  in  to  the 
doctor's  room  but  through  the  waiting  hall,  where  the 
catechist  faithfully  expounded  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

General  patients  were  cured ;  by  operation  sight  was 
given  to  several  persons  who  were  blinded  with  cataract; 
others  almost  sightless  through  ophthalmia  had  their 
vision  cleared;  many  lepers  had  their  sufferings  alleviated, 
though  they  were  not  cured.  A  dumb  patient,  whose 
tongue  was  tied  and  who  could  have  been  relieved,  failed 
to  come  for  the  operation,  otherwise  one  might  have 
added,  the  dumb  were  made  to  speak! 

So  many  and  great  were  the  wonderful  cures  which  the 
Chinese  beheld  that  on  more  than  one  occasion  they  even 
brought  their  dead,  as  if  to  try  if  the  great  Western 
doctor  could  raise  them  to  life  again. 

Accommodation  was  appallingly  meagre ;  the  odours 
from  the  dirty  people  who  thought  it  wise  to  wash  their 
bodies  only  on  the  seventh  day  of  the  seventh  moon, 
and  from  dirtier  clothes,  foul  diseases,  and  malodorous 
wounds,  in  a  temperature  of  93  degrees  in  the  shade,  can 
hardly  be  imagined. 

The  work  proved  most  exhausting,  and  as  the  heat 
increased  week  by  week,  each  day  as  it  passed  determined 
the  doctor  that  new  premises  must  be  available  before 
the  hot  season  of  another  year.  And  great  as  the  work 
was  which  each  dispensary  day  brought,  it  only  revealed 
to  him  the  inadequacy  of  treating  serious  cases  as  out- 
patients. 


DOCTOR  AP;RIC0T   of  "HEAVEN-BELOW"      13 

"  Heaven's  First-born  "  was  such  a  case.  The  doctor 
after  careful  diagnosis  prescribed,  and  the  medicine  was 
made  up,  then  he  himself  began  instructions. 

"  You  are  in  much  pain,  brother." 

"Those  words  are  true,  much  pain  is  my  misfortune." 

*'  You  would  be  better  lying  down." 

*' Alas  !  my  bed  is  in  the  cooking  apartment,  and  the 
smoke  of  the  fire  makes  me  cough  the  more — can  the 
foreign  doctor  not  keep  me  here  ?  " 

**  Very  sorry,  but  the  beds  of  the  hospital  are  full ; 
I  have  no  room  for  you." 

"  My  heart  is  sad,  and  my  body  full  of  pain,  can  the 
doctor  not  cure  me  ?  "  whined  the  patient  again. 

"  Yes,  yes  !  I  understand  and  am  very  sorry,"  replied 
the  doctor.  *'  Now  cheer  up  !  We  must  both  try  ;  you 
must  be  sure  and  take  this  medicine  as  I  tell  you.  Here 
it  is — take  it  three  times  every  day.  Every  day  three 
times." 

*' Just  so,"  answered  the  patient,  "  but  there  is  so  little 
here.     Can  I  not  have  a  bigger  bottle  ?  " 

*'  No,  there  is  enough  in  this  bottle  for  two  days,  come 
back  on  the  third  day,"  said  Dr.  Apricot. 

"  But,  doctor,"  argued  Heaven's  First-born,"  "  that 
man  has  only  been  a  few  times  to  hear  the  good  doctrine, 
and  I  have  sat  many  times,  yet  he  has  a  bigger  bottle  of 
medicine  than  this  one  !  " 

"That  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  medicine,"  Dr. 
Apricot  replied  once  more.  "  His  bottle  is  to  wash  the 
sore  on  his  leg  with  ;  yours  is  strong  medicine  to  take 
internally,  i.e.,  to  drink.  Now  slowly,  slowly  walk  away, 
and  take  the  medicine  after  food  three  times  a  day,"  and 
the  doctor  smiled  to  himself. 

"  Is  it  not  funny  ?  "  he  said  in  English  to  his  wife, 
"  that  poor  man  thought  the  longer  he  listened  to  the 
preaching  the  more  medicine  he  would  get.  I  fear  he  has 
gone  off  now  with  the  idea  the  more  preaching  he  listens 


14      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

to,  the  more  efficacious  (the  stronger,  I  mean)   his  medi- 
cine will  be  !     I  hope  he  will  not  be  disappointed." 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  doctor  was 
sent  for  to  see  a  patient  who  was  taken  much  worse,  and 
thought  to  be  dying. 

He  hurriedly  rose  from  his  reading,  dismissed  his 
teacher,  and  went  quickly  with  the  man  who  had 
brought  the  message. 

It  turned  out  to  be  ''  Heaven's  First-born,"  who, 
having  taken  his  first  dose  of  medicine,  and  feeling  some 
good  result  as  he  thought,  decided  if  a  little  was  so 
beneficial,  how  much  more  quickly  would  he  recover  if 
he  drank  a  bigger  dose,  so  he  had  taken  the  other  five 
doses  intended  for  two  days,  and  was  now  feeling  the 
effects. 

Not  unprepared  for  such  a  contingency,  the  doctor  had 
put  an  emetic  in  his  pocket,  and  promptly  administered 
a  dose  which  quickly  relieved  the  sufferer.  This  incident 
impressed  upon  him  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  bigger 
hospital  in  which  to  receive  serious  cases  as  in-patients. 

Two  days  of  incessant  rain  and  the  doctor  awoke  one 
morning  to  find  the  world  a  new  place  to  him,  the  heavy 
thunder  of  the  previous  night  had  cleared  the  atmosphere, 
and  a  glorious  day,  fresh  and  cool,  greeted  him. 

Not  being  a  dispensary  day  he  set  off  early  to  see  his 
private  patients,  who  for  the  benefit  of  his  medical  help 
were  willing  to  pay  fees,  which  he  welcomed  in  so  far  as 
they  could  be  devoted  to  the  extension  of  his  work. 

While  the  doctor  was  away  two  women  were  brought 
to  the  hospital  by  their  husbands  from  a  distance,  having 
each  of  them  the  same  complaint,  and  having  come  from 
the  same  town  called  "  Beyond-the-Stream,"  some  thirty 
miles  away,  and  yet  neither  of  them  knew  the  other. 

Mrs.  Apricot  went  to  see  the  new-comers,  and  found 
both  were  suffering  with  ulcerated  legs  in  a  very  severe 
form.     Her  first  business  was  to  put  them  into  beds  in 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       15 

the  women's  hospital  (as  the  three  unsavoury  looking 
rooms  were  called),  which  contained  seven  beds  appor- 
tioned to  the  severest  cases  among  the  female  patients. 
It  was  divided  from  the  men's  hospital  by  a  short  distance, 
and  had  its  own  little  dining-room  for  the  patients.  The 
necessary  kitchen  and  outbuildings  completed  its  possi- 
bilities in  the  direction  of  a  hospital. 

Having  taken  over  the  charge  of  these  poor  helpless 
women,  she  proceeded  to  inquire  what  had  brought  them 
so  far  from  their  home  as  *'  Heaven-Below."  She  was 
informed  that  their  husbands  had  heard  of  the  wonderful 
cures  the  Western  doctor  was  making  and  had  made  on 
other  sick  folk  in  "  Heaven-Below,"  and  they  thought 
they  would  see  if  he  could  cure  their  wives. 

They  had  been  brought  in  native  sedan-chairs  to  the 
hospital  entrance,  and  then  carried  by  their  respective 
husbands  on  their  backs  from  there  to  the  hospital  ward. 

When  the  doctor  returned  Mrs.  Apricot  had  already 
washed  and  prepared  the  patients  for  him  to  see  them. 

Mrs.  Dang  was  suffering  from  an  ulcerated  leg  of  the 
worst  description.  It  was  so  offensive  that  no  one  could 
be  persuaded  to  go  near  her  to  render  her  any  assistance, 
so  Mrs.  Apricot  with  her  usual  patience  and  faithfulness 
washed  and  attended  the  patient  and  dressed  the  poor 
leg,  which  even  with  a  plentiful  supply  of  carbolic  and 
Condy,  was  a  most  repulsive  performance. 

*'  How  old  are  you,  mother  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Apricot. 

"  Four  tens  and  a  half  have  passed  over  my  head," 
she  replied,  to  Mrs.  Apricot's  surprise,  for  the  woman 
looked  much  older,  probably  owing  to  the  extreme  pain 
she  had  suffered. 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?  "  asked  the  missionary. 

**  No,  lady,  all  are  dead,  and  our  people  are  dead.  I 
have  no  one  but  my  husband,"  replied  the  patient. 

"  Who  attends  to  you  ?  "  then  asked  the  missionary, 
wondering  who  could  bear  the  awful  smell. 


i6      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

"  Only  my  husband.  He  is  a  tailor,  and  has  to  do  the 
cooking  and  washing  and  cleaning  as  well.  I  am  a  great 
trouble  to  him.  Do  you  think  the  great  doctor  will  cure 
me  ?  "  she  asked  pleadingly. 

*'  Your  leg  is  exceedingly  bad,  little  mother  ;  the  bone 
is  exposed  from  knee  to  ankle.  I  dare  not  say  you  can  be 
cured  the  way  you  mean,"  replied  Mrs.  Apricot,  kindly. 

With  the  good  food  and  special  cleanliness  and  tonics 
the  woman's  appearance  soon  changed  in  a  remarkable 
manner.  Her  very  expression  altered.  During  her 
ministrations  to  the  poor  woman  Mrs.  Apricot  passed 
the  time  telling  her  of  God's  love  and  of  the  salvation 
Jesus  came  from  heaven  to  earth  to  bring. 

Mrs.  Dang  became  greatly  interested,  and  loved  the 
gentle  lady  who  so  tenderly  cared  for  her  comfort  and 
spoke  such  marvellous  words  of  the  God  who  loved  and 
cared  for  her. 

"  Too  good  to  be  true  words,"  she  said. 

With  the  other  cases  now  in  the  wards  and  the 
assistance  she  gave  in  the  dispensary,  Mrs.  Apricot  had 
to  secure  the  help  of  a  native  woman  as  nurse.  She 
proved,  however,  not  of  much  service,  and  positively 
refused  to  help  Mrs.  Dang.  In  time,  probably  from  the  good 
example  set  by  Mrs.  Apricot,  and  having  fortified  herself 
by  stuffing  orange  peel  tightly  up  her  nose  to  prevent  her 
olfactory  nerve  from  exercising  its  proper  function,  she  at 
last  was  willing  to  attend  on  Mrs.  Apricot  during  the 
process  of  dressing  the  leg.  Finding  her  precautions  so 
successful,  she  vainly  begged  Mrs.  Apricot  to  avail  herself 
of  the  like  benefit  ! 

One  day,  Mrs.  Dang,  having  listened  most  attentively 
to  her  kind  and  gentle  nurse  as  she  explamed  the  great 
importance  of  prayer,  begged  to  know  "  how  it  was  at  all 
possible  she  could  pray,  seeing  she  could  not  kneel 
down  ?  " 

"  Man    looks   at   the   outward   appearance,    Mother," 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       17 

answered  Mrs.  Apricot,  "but  the  loving  God  looks  at 
the  heart.  If  your  heart  prays,  God  will  hear,  for  He 
knows  you  cannot  kneel  down." 

She  was  much  comforted  by  this  assurance.  *' Teach 
me  then  to  pray,  lady,"  begged  the  patient,  which  Mrs. 
Apricot  most  willingly  did,  feeling  from  the  evident 
sincerity  of  the  woman  she  was  groping  her  way  towards 
God. 

Meanwhile  her  leg  did  not  improve,  and  when  her  hus- 
band came  after  six  weeks  to  see  how  she  was  getting  on, 
he  was  much  disappointed. 

The  doctor  interviewed  him,  and  told  him  that  only 
amputation  would  save  her  life.  But  to  this  he  would 
not  listen  ;  and  while  both  he  and  his  wife  were  very 
grateful  for  all  the  kindness  and  care  she  had  received, 
they  said  "Good-bye,"  and  left  the  hospital,  both  of  them 
in  tears. 

Mrs.  Ma,  who  had  arrived  the  same  day  as  Mrs.  Dang, 
was  a  more  robust  woman  in  appearance,  and  had  not 
been  suffering  with  ulceration  for  so  long  a  time. 

Hence  when  the  doctor  saw  her,  he  gave  some  hope  of 
her  ultimate  recovery. 

In  a  few  weeks  her  leg  showed  unmistakable  signs  of 
healing ;  the  constant  purification  of  it  had  not  been  in 
vain.  To  hasten  her  cure,  the  doctor  decided  to  graft 
new  skin  on  the  leg. 

Although  considerably  afraid,  yet  she  allowed  the 
doctor  to  take  a  little  nip  of  skin  from  her  arm  for  the 
first  graft.  When  Mrs.  Apricot  looked  round  for  the 
nurse  she  had  fled,  being  so  afraid  she  might  be  asked  for 
a  little  skin  also. 

Mrs.  Apricot  assured  her  she  also  was  going  to  give 
a  graft  off  her  arm,  and  when  she  saw  this  done,  the 
nurse  trembhngly  held  out  her  arm  for  the  third  graft  to 
be  taken  from  her.  Shutting  her  eyes  as  tightly  as 
possible,  she  exclaimed  while  it  was  being  done  : — 

G 


i8       DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW » 

"God,  God,  God,"  trembling  all  the  while  until  the 
bandage  had  been  securely  laid  over  the  little  raw  place. 

As  the  doctor  wished  to  teach  his  wife  for  future  cases 
how  to  nip,  he  now  had  a  graft  taken  by  her  from  his 
own  arm,  and  the  fifth  she  took  under  his  direction  from 
the  arm  of  the  assistant. 

In  two  days'  time,  when  the  leg  was  once  more  looked 
at,  the  progress  proved  most  satisfactory.  In  a  few  weeks 
it  was  completely  cured,  and  she  was  able  to  return  to 
her  own  home. 

She  was  not  so  ignorant  of  divine  truth  as  Mrs.  Dang, 
as  she  had  frequently  attended  the  mission-hall  at 
**  Beyond-the-Stream,"  the  out-station  from  which  she 
came.  Still,  during  her  stay  in  hospital,  she  was  more 
personally  and  definitely  taught.  She  became  so  much 
in  earnest  as  to  ask  for  baptism,  but  it  was  thought 
wiser  to  delay  her  a  few  months  for  still  further  instruc- 
tion. 

Her  absolute  faith  in  prayer  was  very  beautiful,  and 
it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to  find  her  kneeling  up  on  her 
bed  in  prayer  when  the  nurse  or  doctor  came  into  the 
ward.  She  learnt  the  Lord's  Prayer,  hymns,  &c.,  her- 
self, and  taught  them  to  other  patients  in  the  wards. 
What  truth  she  herself  received  she  endeavoured  to  pass 
on  to  others.  Her  husband  turned  out,  on  inquiry,  to  be 
a  catechumen  at  his  own  home,  and  shortly  after  she 
returned  to  "  Beyond-the-Stream  "  they  had  the  joy  of 
receiving  baptism  together. 

One  thing  leads  to  another,  and  these  women  coming 
from  the  small  town  of  "  Beyond-the-Stream  "  led  to  the 
doctor  going  from  time  to  time  for  a  day's  dispensary 
work  there. 

A  few  months  after  Mrs.  Dang  returned  home,  on  one 
such  visit  of  the  doctor's,  he  was  surprised  to  see  poor 
Mrs.  Dang  carried  in  in  a  large  flat  basket  in  a  very 
exhausted  condition  to  the  dispensary. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW"       19 

"  Your  leg  is  very  much  worse,"  he  said,  after  looking 
at  what  was  by  that  time  even  more  foul  and  loathsome 
than  it  had  been  before. 

"  Can  you  do  nothing,  doctor  ?  "  the  husband  asked. 

"  Nothing  at  all,  except  remove  it  altogether,  and  that 
I  should  be  afraid  to  do  now,  she  is  so  very  feeble,"  he 
replied,  sympathetically. 

They  told  him  that  they  had  both  become  willing  he 
should  operate. 

But  again  he  objected,  saying  he  "  could  not  take  the 
responsibility." 

They  pleaded  so  much  that  finally  they  prevailed  with 
him  to  undertake  to  remove  the  leg,  and  in  a  few  days 
Mrs.  Apricot  received  her  again  into  the  ward. 

The  weather  was  still  extremely  hot,  and  the  distress  of 
having  such  a  case  in  such  close  proximity  was  indeed 
great. 

The  operation  was  obliged  to  be  deferred  for  a  week  or 
more,  as  the  patient  was  too  weak  to  undergo  the  shock. 

While  tonics  and  nourishment  were  being  freely  poured 
into  the  poor  woman's  body,  spiritual  food  was  being 
freely  given  to  her  soul,  and  she  frequently  expressed  her 
faith  in  Jesus  Christ  for  the  forgiveness  of  her  sins,  and 
asked  for  baptism. 

The  day  before  the  operation  she  was  baptised,  and 
early  on  the  following  morning  Mrs.  Apricot  ran  across 
the  compound  thinking  to  cheer  and  encourage  her  for 
the  awful  ordeal  before  her. 

To  her  surprise  "  Received-Love  "  (as  her  baptismal 
name  was)  was  as  bright  as  possible. 

*'  Do  you  feel  fear,  little  Mother  ?  "  Mrs.  Apricot 
asked  gently,  taking  her  hand. 

"  Only  a  little ;  the  good  God  has  strengthened  my 
heart,"  the  patient  replied. 

*'  Praise  God  for  answered  prayer,"  said  Mrs.  Apricot, 
fervently. 


20      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

This  was  by  far  the  biggest  operation  which  had  yet 
been  performed  ;  and  the  doctor  may  be  forgiven  if  he 
felt  nervous  as  he  thought  of  the  microby  operation  room, 
no  certificated  anaesthetist,  only  a  clerical  missionary,  to 
give  the  chloroform,  while  his  poor  wife  had  to  attend 
to  the  patient  and  hold  the  leg  to  be  severed. 

In  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  poor  woman  was  com- 
fortably in  bed,  and  the  result  had  to  be  waited  for. 

When  she  recovered  consciousness  her  sense  of  relief 
was  intense.  The  operation  was  a  complete  success.  The 
patient  rapidly  recovered  her  strength  ;  indeed  in  a  few 
months  she  was  much  stronger  than  she  had  been  for 
very  many  years. 

A  wooden  leg  was  made  by  the  carpenter  under  the 
doctor's  direction  and  soon  adjusted  ;  she  was  taught  to 
walk,  and  learnt  to  such  good  purpose  that  in  a  short 
while  after  her  first  lesson  she  walked  over  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  the  big  Chinese  church,  to  openly  thank  God  for 
her  recovery  and  make  her  public  confession  of  faith,  and 
to  be  received  into  the  church  as  a  member  of  Christ. 

"  It's  no  use,  Gertie,"  said  Dr.  Apricot,  when  the 
operation  was  over,  "we  must  really  write  home  and 
represent  matters  strongly  to  the  committee  and  ask  for 
funds  to  build  a  decent  healthy  hospital.  We  can  do 
much  more  work  in  a  much  better  way  if  we  have  suitable 
buildings  and  appliances.  Besides,  it  is  not  healthy  for  us 
to  be  shut  up  so  very  long  with  such  foul  smells.  We 
are  sent  out  here  to  glorify  God  by  our  life's  work,  and  we 
must  do  it  as  far  as  possible  under  the  healthiest  con- 
ditions we  can  get  in  such  a  land  as  this." 

'*  I  feel  I  shall  not  be  able  to  go  on  much  longer  if  we 
don't  get  better  buildings,"  she  said,  gently,  "  I  have 
not  been  so  well  lately." 

*'  Cheer  up,  we  will  write  and  ask  for  funds,  and  we 
will  pray  to  God  to  touch  hearts  even  now  to  provide  the 
funds  to  meet  our  request  when  it  reaches  home," 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       21 

He  kissed  his  wife's  tired  face  and  went  at  once  to 
write  the  letter. 

The  letter,  when  it  was  written,  "  was  spread  out  before 
the  Lord,"  as  one  did  in  olden  time  and  as  the  saints  of 
God  have  done  many  a  time  since,  and  God,  who  loves  to 
be  trusted  by  His  children,  answered  the  faith  of  His 
servants  then,  though  they  knew  it  not  "  till  many  days 
hence." 


CHAPTER    III. 

EXPLAINS  HOW  DOCTOR  APRICOT  SUCCEEDED  IN  OBTAIN- 
ING SOME  FUNDS  AND  THEN  ADDED  TO  THEM  BY 
INCREASING   HIS   OCCUPATIONS. 

**^**HARLES,  the  mail  has  come  in,  do  come  as  soon 
I  as  ever  you  can,   and  let  us  read  our  letters  to 

V^  gether"  ;  Mrs.  Apricot  had  put  her  head  through 
the  half-open  door  of  the  dispensary. 

There  had  been  a  larger  crowd  of  out-patients  than 
usual,  and  it  was  past  the  ordinary  time  for  the  doctor  to 
have  returned  to  his  Chinese  language  study. 

The  temperature  was  over  ninety-five  degrees  in  the 
shade  and  the  waiting  room  was  still  full,  though  the 
verandah  was  almost  empty  ;  yet  as  the  doctor  looked  up 
at  her  eager  face  and  knew  how  she  had  been  longing  for 
her  home  letters  he  felt  reluctant  to  disappoint  her.  If 
he  sent  her  back  to  read  them  alone  the  pleasurable  ones 
would  only  be  half  enjoyed,  she  had  such  a  child's  heart, 
this  wife  of  his :  and  if  there  was  bad  news,  she  would 
bear  the  brunt  of  it  alone,  before  he  could  return  to  share 
it  with  her. 

*'  Come  and  help  me,  Gertie,  many  of  those  are  simple 
cases,  which  you  know  well,  they  are  to  be  dressed  the 
same  as  usual.  We  shall  get  through  them  quicker  if  we 
do  them  together,  and  I  am  very  late  as  it  is  this 
morning." 

Mrs.  Apricot  had  not  been  allowed  in  the  dispensary  for 
a  few  mornings,  as  with  the  cases    of  sick  women  in  the 

22 


DOCTOR  APRrCOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      23 

small  ward,  she  had  had  her  hands  quite  full  in  doing  their 
dressings  and  ablutions,  in  addition  to  her  home  duties. 

In  course  of  time  the  last  patient  was  attended  to,  and 
the  last  greeting  was  returned,  and  the  doctor  was  told 
**  his  goodness  was  so  great  and  his  compassion  beyond 
expression,"  the  patient  "  had  no  words  to  describe  it, 
that  he  would  live  to  a  very  great  age  and  have  dozens  of 
boy-children  of  his  own." 

And  the  good-tempered  man,  as  he  washed  instruments 
and  smiled  at  the  departing  grandmother,  devoutly  hoped 
these  latter  blessings  might  escape  him,  unless  a  salary 
equal  to  the  occasion  came  with  it. 

"  There,  that  makes  two  hundred  and  fifty  this  morn- 
ing— we  really  must  have  more  air,  and  bigger  waiting 
rooms  when  we  get  our  new  hospital,  it  almost  finishes 
me,"  and  the  doctor  wiped  his  head  as  he  put  on  his  sun- 
hat  and  took  the  sun  umbrella  from  his  wife's  hand  to 
hold  it  over  her  as  they  crossed  the  compound  to  their 
own  home. 

*'  Charles,  you  must  change  first,  your  clothes  are  wet 
through  with  the  heat,  it  really  is  not  safe  for  you  to  sit 
down  as  you  are  ;  run  up  and  change  your  things  and  I 
will  sort  the  letters  before  you  are  downstairs  again." 

"  Now,"  she  said,  when  refreshed  by  a  rub  down  and  a 
dry  change  of  raiment,  the  doctor  looked  a  little  less  like  a 
boiled  lobster,  "  home  letters  first  in  this  pile,  those  are 
from  the  Society,  and  this  pile  from  strangers." 

They  read  on  for  some  time,  at  last  she  exclaimed, 
"  How  delighted  they  all  are  about  baby  !  I  knew  they 
would  be,  and  what  lovely  things  they  are  sending  for  him. 
But  oh,  Charles,  the  sweet  little  blue  silk  socks  will  be 
months  too  small  for  wee  Ronald  when  they  get  here,  and 
they  have  quite  forgotten  he  is  five  months  old  now." 

"  Well,  cheer  up,  Gertie,  you  can  give  them  to  a 
Chinese  baby.      They  need  not  be  useless  ." 

**  As  if  I  should  indeed,"  she  said   in  indignant  tones, 


24      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

"  and  his  own  dear  grannie  knitted  them  for  his  own  dear 
little  feet.     You  couldn't  expect  that,  Charles." 

"  Well,  my  child,  you  shall  do  as  you  like  with  them," 
he  said,  rising.  *'  That  is  the  last  of  the  home  letters, 
and  I  must  be  off  to  see  the  European  and  American 
patients  now,  there  are  a  few  down  with  fever  and  other 
ailments.     We  will  do  the  other  letters  after  tiffin." 

The  doctor  was  into  his  chair  and  the  coolies  picked 
him  up  and  were  out  of  sight  with  him  immediately,  and 
Mrs.  Apricot  sat  down  to  her  Chinese  reading  with  her 
teacher. 

After  two  hours  steady  study  she  dismissed  that  gentle- 
man and  ran  in  to  look  at  baby  Ronald,  who  was  awake 
and  beginning  to  take  notice  of  things  in  his  baby  fashion. 
Sending  Amah  to  get  her  midday  meal,  she  played  with 
her  child  until  seeing  his  little  eyes  heavy  with  sleep,  she 
put  him  back  into  his  cradle  and  lifted  up  some  little 
garment  from  her  basket  and  began  sewing. 

When  the  noise  of  the  chair  coolies  lowering  the  chair 
came  up  from  the  verandah  below,  Mrs.  Apricot  hastened 
down  to  her  husband,  and  Amah  returned  to  her  post  in 
the  nursery. 

At  tiffin  the  doctor  was  in  high  spirits,  all  his  patients 
in  the  Mission  houses  were  going  on  well.  He  had  a  new 
patient  at  the  Arsenal,  and  two  important  Chinese  officials 
had  sent  for  him  while  he  was  out.  Three  big  houses  had 
also  sent  messages  that  he  was  wanted  :  a  child  was  ill  in 
one  house,  another  was  a  young  man,  the  disease  he  did 
not  know,  and  the  third  was  a  mid-wifery  case  of  a 
stubborn  nature,  so  he  must  go  off  again  at  once  and  would 
not  be  back  for  some  hours. 

*'  Poor  Charles,  you  do  have  to  work  hard,  and  in  this 
temperature,  too,"  said  his  wife,  who  could  hardly  touch 
any  food,  the  heat  was  trying  her  so  much. 

''  What  about  the  letters  ?  "  she  asked  presently  as  the 
doctor  helped  himself  to  some  juicy  lichi. 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       25 

"  They  must  wait  until  I  get  back,  but  I  don't  know 
when  that  will  be.  Be  sure  you  lie  down  and  rest,  don't 
wait  tea  or  dinner  for  me  if  I  am  late.  If  you  have  time 
get  your  letters  ready  for  the  mail,  and  finish  my  home 
letter,  you  will  find  it  begun.  Don't  worry  about  me ; 
cheer  up,  and  kiss  my  son  for  me.  I  have  no  time  to  look 
in  and  see  him.  Now,  good-bye,  sweetheart,  take  care  of 
yourself,"  and  in  another  moment  Dr.  Apricot  was  off  again. 

The  chair  coolies  had  let  down  the  blinds  of  the  chair, 
so,  though  his  wife  watched  him  start  away,  it  was  no  use 
to  wave  her  usual  farewell. 

She  ran  upstairs  to  look  at  baby,  and  found  him  still 
asleep;  Amah  had  tucked  in  the  mosquito  net  safely  to 
keep  off  flies,  and  was  fanning  patiently  beside  the  cot.  If 
she  stopped  for  a  few  moments,  great  beads  of  perspira- 
tion stood  on  the  baby's  face,  head,  hands,  and  arms. 

"  I  think  lady  much  better  go  sleep  all  same  as  baby ; 
this  day  too  hot,  lady  look  very  tired,"  said  the  woman,  as 
she  looked  in  her  mistress's  face. 

*'  I  think  I  will,"  replied  Mrs.  Apricot,  and  closed  the 
netting  of  the  crib  a  little  more  securely,  and  then  turned 
to  go  to  her  own  room.  The  shutters  were  closed  to  keep 
out  the  sun,  and  she  lay  down  on  a  long  native  cane- 
chair  and  closed  her  eyes. 

In  a  very  short  time  a  great  noise  of  shouting  and  cry- 
ing was  heard  as  from  the  little  hospital  or  dispensary  at 
the  other  end  of  the  compound,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a 
knock  at  the  door  told  her  she  was  wanted. 

"A  woman  had  taken  poison,"  the  hospital  coolie  said, 
"  and  was  quite  unconscious,  indeed  she  looked  nearly 
dead." 

So  there  was  no  time  for  rest,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  went  at 
once  to  try  the  usual  antidotes  found  useful  in  such  cases 

But  alas !  when  she  heard  how  long  the  poor  creature 
had  been  unconscious,  she  realized  there  was  very  little 
probability  of  her  recovery,  which  proved  to  be  the  case. 


26      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

The  story  was  not  an  uncommon  one.  Ah-sing  had 
been  displeased  with  his  wife,  and  scolded  her,  the 
"  mother-in-law's  fist,"  proverbially  heavy  in  China,  had 
maintained  its  reputation,  adding  only  fuel  to  the  tire, 
and  the  woman  had,  by  taking  a  large  dose  of  opium, 
effectually  ended  her  earthly  troubles.  But  my  readers 
must  not  think  all  this  was  coherently  explained  in  a  few 
words.  It  was  only  after  much  difficulty  that  this 
pitiful  story  was  pieced  together,  for  the  noise  of  crying  and 
scolding  went  on  while  all  Mrs.  Apricot's  efforts  were  being 
put  forth  on  the  poor  creature's  behalf,  and  although 
entirely  unavailing,  there  was  no  sorrow  evinced  by 
the  relatives ;  only  indignation  at  the  mean  way  the 
poor  ill-treated  woman  had  revenged  the  wrongs  she 
felt  at  last  too  heavy  to  be  borne.  At  last,  when  some 
amount  of  quiet  could  be  obtained,  the  husband,  who 
had  arrived  late  upon  the  scene,  asked : 

"  May  I  leave  the  body  here  until  night-fall,  that  the 
coffin  may  be  brought  after  dark  to  take  her  away, 
lady  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  might  do  that,"  Mrs.  Apricot  answered. 

*'  Would  she  permit  his  mother  and  her  aunt  to  remain 
with  the  body  ?  "  he  asked  anxiously,  for  in  his  mind  was 
the  oft  repeated  rumour  that  the  efficacy  of  Western 
medicine  was  due  to  the  fact  that  it  was  made  of  the 
contents  of  the  human  stomachs  of  those  who  died  in  the 
hospital,  or  were  otherwise  got  hold  of  for  the  purpose. 

Permission  was  willingly  given,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  re- 
mained for  some  time  trying  to  make  the  two  women 
realize  the  sin  of  allowing  **  angry  passions  to  goad  a 
young  creature  like  that  to  take  her  own  life." 

But  nothing  of  this  feeling  could  be  produced  in  the 
mind  of  either  relative.  What  they  did  think  of  was  the 
expense  of  the  funeral,  and  later  on  the  further  expense 
of  buying  a  new  wife  for  the  now  wifeless  husband. 

At  last,  leaving  the  Biblewoman  to  try   and  succeed 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"      27 

where  she  had  failed,   Mrs.  Apricot  passed   once   more 
across  the  compound  to  her  own  home. 

"  Arrived-late,"  her  cook  and  general  man  of  affairs, 
quickly  made  her  some  afternoon  tea,  and,  placing  it  on 
the  now  shaded  verandah,  she  sat  down  to  recuperate  her 
tired  body  before  writing  her  home  letters. 

As  she  sat  there  taking  tea  alone,  a  couple  of  sedan- 
chairs  were  carried  across  the  compound,  and  very  soon 
Mrs.  Greyman  and  her  husband  joined  her  on  the 
verandah. 

"How  is  the  good  doctor?"  began  Mr.  Greyman, 
**  busy  as  usual,  I  suppose." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  replied  the  doctor's  wife,  ''we  have  not 
had  time  to  read  the  letters  yet,  except  of  course  our  own 
home  ones." 

"Ah !  then  you  have  not  heard  some  good  news.  When 
Doctor  Apricot  returns  tired  and  worn  out,  while  he  gets 
some  food,  advise  him  to  let  you  read  him  the  remainder 
of  his  letters,"  he  said  kindly,  noticing  the  young  wife's 
weary  looks. 

"  How  is  the  baby  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Greyman.  "  I  hope 
he  does  not  feel  this  terrible  heat  too  much  for  him." 

"  Baby  is  such  a  treasure,  I  must  fetch  him  for  you  to 
see,  as  soon  as  I  have  given  you  some  tea,"  Mrs.  Apricot 
answered,  her  face  lighting  up  as  she  spoke  ;  "  and  he  is 
so  well,  I  am  glad  to  say." 

As  soon  as  she  had  done  her  duty  as  hostess,  she 
ran  off  and  fetched  the  baby,  and  then,  as  was  natural, 
a  little  baby-worshipping  went  on.  Little  Ronald 
crowed  and  laughed  in  such  a  pretty  way  that  for  a 
time  he  wiped  out  the  sorrowful  scenes  she  had  so  lately 
been  through. 

After  baby  had  gone  back  to  his  Amah,  Mrs.  Apricot 
told  them  of  her  experiences  since  her  husband  had  left 
home,  and  they  quite  realized  what  a  fatiguing  day  she 
had  passed  through  ;  so,  as  soon  as  they  could,  the  kind 


28       DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

people  took  their  leave,  begging  her  to  try  and  rest  a  little 
while  before  her  husband's  return. 

She  had,  however,  the  mail  to  prepare,  so  as  quickly  as 
possible  she  sat  down  to  her  writing. 

A  noise  on  the  verandah  roused  her,  and  two  Chinese 
women  nodded  and  smiled  back  at  her. 

"  Lady,  have  you  leisure  ?  "  asked  one. 

"  Truthfully  no,  I  have  not,"  thought  the  lady,  but 
second  thoughts  quickly  followed  the  first,  and  she 
remembered  these  were  some  "  of  His  other  sheep  "  whom 
she  must  try  and  win  for  Jesus  the  Great  Shepherd,  so 
she  rose  up  saying  : 

*'  Leisure,  truly,  if  I  can  help  you.     Pray  sit  down." 

"  I  have  an  ulcerated  leg,  lady,"  answered  the  younger 
woman,  "  and  a  neighbour  of  mine  came  to  you  early  to- 
day, and  you  gave  her  much  cloth  and  good  medicine  and 
she  has  sent  me.     Will  you  heal  my  leg,  too  ?  " 

So  Mrs.  Apricot  took  them  down  to  the  dispensary  and 
did  what  she  could,  then  invited  them  to  come  again  in 
two  days,  and  returned  to  take  up  her  writmg  once  more. 

As  she  sat  down  and  dipped  her  pen  in  the  ink  Amah 
came  in  with  baby.  *'  Could  the  lady  carry  baby  for  a 
while,  and  she  would  get  her  supper,"  she  wanted  to 
know* 

So  taking  baby  to  the  nursery  she  undressed  him, 
sponging  him  and  putting  on  his  little  night-gown  ; 
she  then  gave  him  his  supper,  and  when  he  slept  laid 
him  in  his  crib  once  more. 

On  Amah's  return,  she  ran  off  to  change  her  dress,  for 
the  exertions  she  had  just  been  through  had  left  her 
clothes  damp  upon  her  shoulders. 

"  Now  once  more  for  those  letters,"  she  thought,  as  she 
went  down  to  her  writing  table. 

Alas !  for  the  best  laid  schemes  of  mice  and  men  ! 
Before  she  reached  the  table  she  discovered  the  lamp  was 
smoking  and  the  room  filled  with  the  consequent  smell  of 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       29 

its  having  done  so.  It  was  the  work  of  some  time  to  have 
it  rectified,  and  then  supper  was  ready,  and  as  the  doctor 
might  be  some  hours  yet,  she  sat  dow^n  to  her  sohtary 
meal. 

When  one  eats  alone  a  meal  is  soon  over,  and  as  Mrs. 
Apricot  went  once  more  back  to  her  writing,  she  began 
to  feel  that  sickening  weariness  that  warns  one  the  last 
straw  has  almost  been  reached. 

Still  the  letters  must  be  done.  She  sat  down  and 
dashed  off  a  few  short  notes,  finished  off  her  home 
journal,  took  up  her  husband's  letter  and  added  a  few 
lines  and  closed  it ;  then  from  sheer  exhaustion  she  leaned 
her  head  on  her  arms  and  dropped  asleep. 

An  hour  later  she  awoke  chilled  through,  the  wind  had 
sprung  up,  and  she  had  been  sitting  in  a  draught. 

At  that  moment  Dr.  Apricot's  chair  was  put  down  on 
the  verandah. 

*'  I  am  sorry  it  is  so  late,  Gertie,  but  I  am  both  tired 
and  hungry  ;  come  and  talk  to  me  while  I  have  a  meal," 
he  said. 

He  ran  off  to  wash  his  hands,  while  ''  Arrived-late  " 
brought  in  the  doctor's  supper,  and  his  wife  wrapped 
herself  in  a  shawl  and  carried  in  the  letters  to  read 
to  him. 

Out  of  the  first  she  opened  dropped  a  cheque  for  £i,yoo 
towards  the  new  hospital  from  a  liberal  bequest  left  to  the 
Society  for  work  in  China. 

The  letter  of  permission  to  build  and  other  instructions 
were  read.  Both  weary  missionaries  rejoiced  so  at  the 
good  news  and  felt  so  "  lifted  "  with  joy  they  forgot  their 
tiredness  and  the  troubles  of  the  day  and  became  quite 
lively. 

"  Why,  Charles,  it  has  picked  you  up  like  a  tonic,"  she 
said,  and  he  answered  briskly, 

*'  I  must  begin  my  plans  to-morrow  and  secure  that 
waste  piece  of  land."     Then  another  letter  was  opened 


30      DOCTOR   APRl'COT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

and  another  "  cheer  up  "  was  given  by  the  promise  of  a 
subscription  later  and  most  probably  a  few  more  to  send 
with  the  writer's  own,  "  but  how  was  it  to  be  sent  ?  " 

"  We  will  soon  write  and  tell  them,  won't  we, 
Charlie  ?  "  she  cried  cheerfully,  "  but  will  this  be  enough 
to  pay  all  expenses  ?  " 

"  Oh  no,  I  fear  not,  but  I  mean  now  to  appeal  for  help 
out  here  from  Chinese  officials  and  the  Europeans  and 
Americans  both  here  and  at  Shanghai,  and  the  fees  I  get 
for  attending  these  good  people  will  help  to  keep  us  going 
after  we  once  get  started." 

"  But,  Charles,  j^ou  won't  be  strong  enough  to  keep  on 
like  this?" 

"  Not  like  to-day,  but  every  day  is  not  as  busy  as  this 
one  or  as  hot,  thank  God." 

"  Now  we  must  have  prayer  and  thank  God  for  all  His 
mercy  this  day  and  for  answered  prayer  in  sending  these 
funds,  ay!  and  the  paying  patients,  too — for  that  also 
means  money  for  the  relief  of  these  poor  suffering 
people." 

Then  they  went  to  look  at  baby,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  at 
last  had  time  to  tell  of  her  own  busy  day  and  ask  after 
the  latest  patients  her  husband  had  seen,  and  they 
rejoiced  that  the  poor  woman  had  come  safely  through  her 
peril  to  the  relief  of  herself  and  the  thanksgiving  of 
her  husband,  seeing  that  the  baby  when  it  arrived 
was  a  boy. 

On  his  way  to  bed  the  doctor  got  out  of  his  private 
drawer  the  plans  he  had  drawn  up  for  his  hospital  and 
looked  longingly  at  them. 

*'  Well,  we  shall  have  it  all  in  time  if  we  have  patience," 
he  murmured. 

It  was  twelve  o'clock  as  he  wound  up  his  watch  ;  he 
noticed  he  had  been  up  nineteen  hours,  and  on  the  rush 
all  the  time.  Yet  even  so  this  energetic  doctor  said  to 
himself — "  I  will  rest  three  or  four  hours,  and  be  off  early 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       31 

to-day  to  treat  about  that  waste  land,  for  now  we  can  lay 
our  foundations  and  begin  to  build,  seeing  I  have  not  only 
a  prospect  of  funds  for  building,  but  by  working  hard  at 
my  private  practice  I  shall  have  funds  to  enable  me  to 
keep  it  going  to  some  definite  extent."  No  wonder  he 
slept  peacefully  the  sleep  of  the  just  ! 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  HOSPITAL  OF  "  UNIVERSAL  BENEVOLENCE  "  HAS  ITS 
FOUNDATIONS  LAID  WITH  PRAYER,  ITS  WALLS  RISE 
IN    HOPE,   AND    ITS    ROOF   GOES    ON    WITH    PRAISE. 

THE  duties  of  the  European  doctor  had  now  greatly 
increased  on  every  side.  So  much  was  his  medical 
and  surgical  skill  appreciated  that  the  natives  often 
said  his  deeds  were  like  miracles  and  their  mouths  could 
not  speak  for  astonishment. 

A  native  gentleman,  who  was  an  in-patient  in  one  of 
the  private  wards  for  some  time,  pressed  a  gift  of  money 
($ioo)  upon  the  doctor  for  his  work,  saying,  **  I  have 
heard  of  one  of  my  own  countrymen  being  sick  using  his 
money  for  the  benefit  of  his  own  country's  poor  people, 
but  never  have  I  before  heard  of  a  man  leaving  his  own 
country  and  going  to  a  foreign  country  to  work  beneficent 
deeds.  I  have  been  lying  here  watching  you,  and  I  see 
you  help  the  poor  and  rich  people  all  the  same  fashion. 
This  is  very  surprising." 

Fortunately  for  the  doctor,  the  medical  student  was 
progressing  so  satisfactorily  in  his  training  that  he  was 
now  of  real  service  to  him.  It  was  well  indeed  that  this 
was  so,  for  even  with  the  help  of  student  and  wife  it 
takes  some  hours  to  see  and  prescribe  for  over  280  people 
in  a  morning,  and  that  in  a  high  temperature,  inconvenient 
buildings,  and  lack  of  up-to-date  materials. 

The  doctor,  while  not  neglecting  his  ordinary  hospital 
duties  but  by  lessening  his  hours  of  rest,  had  now  the 

32 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      33 

responsibility  of  architect,  head  builder,  general  overseer, 
lecturer  in  theory  and  practice  to  his  students,  general 
practitioner  in  the  city  and  to  the  American  and  other 
missionaries,  while  his  practice  among  the  more  wealthy 
Chinese  was  extending  every  year,  and  his  influence  was 
felt  throughout  the  city. 

This  being  the  case,  it  will  not  surprise  my  readers  to 
know  that  when  in  the  month  of  October  the  day  of  the 
laying  of  the  foundation-stone  actually  arrived,  Chinese 
officials  and  gentry  as  well  as  Europeans,  missionaries, 
and  native  Christians  all  assembled  to  see  the  ceremony  ; 
and  the  services  of  thanksgiving  were  indeed  the  out- 
pouring of  grateful  hearts,  for  all  the  missionaries  at 
least  felt  the  impetus  and  blessing  the  medical  work  had 
brought  to  the  Mission. 

In  May  of  the  following  year  the  new  hospital  was 
opened,  and  every  one  who  by  this  time  knew  and  loved 
the  good  doctor,  and  had  been  blessed  by  his  ministra- 
tions, mustered  upon  the  premises  to  congratulate  him 
and  wish  him  good  success  in  his  future  work. 

Foreigners,  from  the  Consul  downwards.  Mandarins, 
and  lesser  officials,  city  merchants,  and  natives  of  every 
class  and  distinction.  Missionaries,  and  native  Christians, 
a  goodly  company  indeed,  were  gathered  together. 

As  the  work  had  been  planned  with  prayer,  and  the 
walls  had  daily  risen  with  renewed  prayer,  so  on  this  the 
opening  day  prayer  and  praise  mingled  and  intermingled 
in  the  special  services  of  the  day. 

When  the  opening  services  were  over  Chinese  fireworks 
were  heard  going  off  in  the  garden  below.  Long  streams 
of  these  crackers  tied  to  long  poles  are  always  let  off  by 
Chinese  at  any  special  time  of  rejoicing ;  and  this  was 
not  to  be  any  exception,  for  was  not  the  opening  of  the 
hospital  of  "  Universal  Benevolence "  a  thing  to  b2 
greatly  rejoiced  over  ?  And  amidst  all  the  noise  large 
lacquer  boards,  having  Chinese  characters  upon  them, 

D 


34      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

"  grateful  testimonies  from  recovered  patients,"  were  pre- 
sented to  the  doctor  and  hung  over  the  doorways  on  the 
verandah  of  the  new  hospital. 

Then  the  usual  hospitalities  suitable  to  such  an 
important  function  had  still  to  be  got  through  before  the 
friends  departed. 

Officials,  English,  American,  and  Chinese,  were  received 
by  the  smiling  doctor  in  the  waiting-room  of  the  new 
hospital  and  served  with  refreshments  by  clean-coated 
Chinese  servants  in  the  usual  ceremonious  way  due  to  the 
occasion,  while  all  the  ladies,  English,  American,  and 
Chinese,  assembled  in  the  drawing-room  and  on  the 
verandah  of  the  doctor's  house,  and  his  wife  there  dispensed 
afternoon  tea  in  her  own  kind  way. 

During  the  last  three  months  the  old  hospital  had  been 
closed  for  alterations,  there  was  therefore  a  great  in-rush  of 
people  who  had  been  waiting  for  medical  or  surgical  relief. 

The  new  building  w^as  a  large,  commodious  one,  having 
two  stories  and  a  basement  for  storage.  There  were  four 
general  wards  and  ten  private  ones,  able  to  take  in  seventy- 
five  male  and  twenty-five  female  patients.  There  were 
besides  dispensary,  consulting-room,  office,  waiting-room, 
chapel,  and  reception-room. 

Meanwhile  such  parts  of  the  old  hospital  as  had  not 
suffered  from  wind,  weather,  and  white  ants  had  been 
rebuilt  for  the  accommodation  of  more  opium  patients,  with 
the  needful  kitchens  and  offices. 

One  of  the  first  cases  to  be  taken  into  a  private  ward 
in  the  new  hospital  for  women  was  Li-T'ai-tai,  who 
brought  her  little  boy  and  had  to  stop  with  him  while  he 
was  under  treatment.  S-pao  {"  Fourth  Precious  One  ") 
was  a  delicate  little  fellow,  and  gave  them  some  anxiety 
during  the  first  few  weeks. 

How  quickly  Mrs.  Apricot  became,  not  the  kind  lady 
doctor  alone,  but  the  loved  friend  of  Li-T'ai-tai !  Their 
common  motherhood  drew  them  together. 


A   Patient   in   Hangrchow   Hospital   when  he  was 
eighteen  months  old, 


To  face  p. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       35 

Often  sitting  on  the  verandah  in  the  cool  of  the  day 
gazing  across  the  city  of  "  Heaven-below,"  to  the  distant 
hills,  Mrs.  Apricot,  with  her  own  baby  in  her  lap, 
would  tell  the  old  sweet  Gospel  stories  to  the  Chinese 
lady  and  her  little  boy. 

"  And  we  can  bring  all  our  troubles  to  Him,"  asked 
Li-T'ai-tai,  "this  great  God,  He  cares  for  us,  even  women ! 
it  seems  too  good  to  be  true.     I  cannot  understand  it." 

"  No,"  replied  Mrs.  Apricot,  "  that  is  quite  true ; 
it  is  so  wonderful,  and  so  comforting  ;  we  cannot  under- 
stand such  goodness  and  such  compassion,  but  it  is  all 
true,  T'ai-Tai.  Do  not  forget  it,  when  you  leave  here, 
remember  that  the  God  we  foreigners  have  come  here  to 
teach  people  about  loves  us  and  wants  us  to  love  Him. 
He  wants  us  to  be  happy,  and  we  cannot  be  truly  happy 
until  our  hearts  have  learnt  to  know  and  love  Him." 

In  course  of  time  S.  Pao  recovered,  and  he  and  his 
mother,  with  their  attendants,  returned  home.  Whether 
the  mind  had  grasped  Divine  truth  was  doubtful,  but  the 
story  of  God's  love  had  been  faithfully  told,  and  the  result 
had  to  be  left  for  the  future. 

Many  of  the  patients  were  chronic  cases  of  all  the  usual 
diseases,  but  their  souls  were  of  equal  value  and  interest, 
although  the  bodily  sufferings  of  one  might  be  greater 
than  those  of  another,  and  to  each  and  all  the  salvation  of 
Jesus  was  proclaimed. 

Four  of  the  patients  about  this  time  accepted  the  truths 
of  Christianity,  and  after  due  preparation  were  baptised. 

One  woman  who  was  blind  could  indeed  praise  God  for 
the  light  of  the  glory  of  God  which  had  penetrated  her 
dark  soul. 

Another  of  the  patients  at  this  time  became  an  earnest 
Christian,  and  having  no  home  claims  and  showing 
unusual  intelligence  was  trained  as  a  nurse  to  help  Mrs. 
Apricot  in  the  wards. 

She  was  indeed  a  Dora,   or  gift,  and  became  a  true 


36      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

helper  to  many  of  her  native  sisters  both  physically  and 
spiritually. 

Having  now  one  reliable  nurse,  Mrs.  Apricot  watched 
for  other  suitable  woman  whose  hearts  God  had  touched, 
and  began  to  make  them  useful  in  the  wards  as  scrubbers 
and  cleaners,  intending  to  advance  them  as  they  showed 
aptitude  for  rendering  more  personal  service  to  others. 

One  evening  while  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Apricot  were 
resting  after  a  ceaselessly  busy  day,  and  were  playing 
with  Ronald,  now  grown  a  lovely  child  nearly  two  years 
old,  a  call  came  for  the  doctor  to  see  a  patient  who  had 
just  been  brought  into  the  waiting-room. 

It  turned  out  to  be  a  case  of  cut  throat.  Mrs.  Dong 
was  a  young  girl  newly  married,  who  had  quarrelled  with 
her  husband  and  then  in  a  fit  of  temper  had  cut  her 
throat. 

When  Dr.  Apricot,  with  Mr.  Pao's  assistance,  had 
sewn  up  the  throat  and  safely  bandaged  the  wound,  he 
sent  for  Mrs.  Apricot  and  Dora,  the  nurse,  to  get  her 
settled  in  one  of  the  private  wards. 

The  following  morning,  while  washing  her  preparatory 
to  the  doctor's  visit,  the  young  patient  confided  the  story 
to  the  kind-faced  English  lady  who  waited  on  her,  in  the 
following  way  : — 

*'  What  made  you  hurt  yourself  so  badly  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Apricot,  kindly,  as  she  ministered  to  the  young  bride. 
No  answer.  "  You  might  have  lost  your  life,"  continued 
Mrs.  Apricot. 

"  I  would  not  have  cared,"  came  in  a  dejected  tone 
from  the  patient. 

*•  You  are  but  just  married  ;  are  you  not  happy  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  no,  that  is  the  reason.  I  had  seen  another,  who 
wanted  me  in  marriage,  and  then  I  would  have  rejoiced  ; 
but  it  was  fated  otherwise,  and  I  am  not  willing  to  live 
with  my  husband,  I  cannot  be  happy  with  him.  Why, 
why  !  are  our  customs  so  hard,  that  we  must  marry  to 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       37 

please  our  parents,  and,  as  the  custom  chiefly  is,  to  the 
one  who  will  pay  most  dowry  for  us  ?  "  answered  the 
patient  in  low,  heart-stricken  tones. 

The  opportunity  thus  given,  Mrs.  Apricot,  in  her  sweet, 
gentle  way,  spoke  on  wifely  duty  and  a  power  greater 
than  our  own  which  would  help  us  to  do  what  was  right 
even  when  most  difficult.  Then  she  talked  of  the  love  of 
God,  and  His  power  to  help  and  comfort.  The  young 
patient  grew  quieter,  and  listened. 

As  the  doctor  reported  her  going  on  well  when  the  hus- 
band called  to  enquire  about  her,  and  suggested  she  had 
better  remain  a  few  weeks,  Mr.  Dong  allowed  "  it  might 
be  as  w'ell  if  she  stayed,"  and  so  the  matter  was  settled. 

Dora,  or  Do-Ra,  as  she  was  called  by  the  natives,  was 
much  interested,  and  took  great  pleasure  in  teaching  her 
to  read,  giving  her  lessons  every  day,  and  trying  to  lead 
her  to  realize  herself  as  a  sinner  and  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
Saviour  her  soul  required. 

A  month  or  so  passed  away,  and  Mrs.  Dong  became 
brighter  and  more  reconciled  to  the  life  before  her,  so 
that  when  one  morning  her  husband  came  for  her,  they 
made  up  their  quarrel,  and,  with  many  thanks  to  the  good 
doctor  and  his  wife,  they  departed  happily  together. 

But  my  readers  must  not  think  that  the  work  was 
always  successful,  or  that  the  ordinary  trials  and  dis- 
appointments did  not  come  to  the  Missionary  and  his 
wife. 

On  the  contrary,  they  had  a  double  share  of  anxiety 
and  of  hard  work;  but  they  were  young  and  had  a 
constant  flow  of  good  spirits  which,  united  to  a  keen 
sense  of  humour,  came  to  their  rescue,  and  then  they 
rescued  others  in  their  turn. 

One  evening,  as  Doctor  Apricot  went  round  the  wards 
to  see  how  one  or  two  bad  operation  cases  were  going  on, 
he  found  the  following  among  other  causes  of  annoyance : 

"  Little-Cat "    (a  boy),    who    had    been   under  some 


38      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

operation,  had  taken  off  his  bandages  to  see  the  size  of 
the  cut. 

"  Honourable-Life"  had  had  his  leg  set,  but  the  splint 
felt  uncomfortable,  so  "  Honourable-Life "  had  taken  it 
off. 

A  breast  operation  case  had  felt  no  pain,  so  was  sitting 
up  in  bed  and  wanted  to  undo  her  bandage  ! 

"  Millions-of-Generations  "  had  eaten  his  plaster  !  He 
was  an  old,  half -starved  man,  and  probably  had  not  had 
enough  to  eat  for  months. 

So  the  tired  doctor,  calling  an  assistant,  attended  to 
them  one  by  one  as  patiently  as  if  it  were  early  morning 
instead  of  the  fag  end  of  an  overfull  day. 

"  You  have  been  a  long  time,  Charles,"  his  wife  said, 
as  she  looked  up  from  the  new  frock  she  was  making  for 
little  Ronald. 

When  he  told  her  the  detaining  cause,  she  looked  up 
brightly.  *' Who  would  believe  it?"  she  said.  "They 
really  are  queer,  dear  things,  aren't  they  now  ?  " 

"  Have  you  nearly  done  tying  that  business  ?  "  he  asked 
presently. 

Mrs.  Apricot  stopped  to  take  some  pins  out  of  her 
mouth. 

"  Do  you  know  what  that  business  is,  Charlie?"  she 
asked,  answering  one  question  with  another. 

"I  am  always  afraid  to  guess;  you  always  make  such 
fun  of  me  when  I  hazard  an  opinion,"  he  replied, 
laughing. 

"  Well,  to-morrow  is  your  son  and  heir's  second  birth- 
day, and  I  am  busy  making  a  new  dress  for  him,  as  he  is 
having  a  tea  party." 

"  A  tea  party  for  Ronald  !  "  exclaimed  the  Doctor. 

**  Yes,  for  Ronald.  Four  Chinese  ladies  are  bringing 
their  little  boys — they  have  all  been  cured  by  you — and 
we  are  going  to  have  tea,  cakes,  and  games,  and  so  your 
son  must  have  his  new  dress  smocked  and  finished  before 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       39 

we  go  to  bed,"  and  the  proud  mother  held  up  ahttle  blue 
silk  baby  frock,  which  she  had  almost  finished,  for  her 
husband  to  see. 

"  What  a  beauty  !  "  he  exclaimed.    ''  Won't  it  spoil  ?  " 

**  No,  sir  ;  and  if  it  soils,  it  will  wash.  But  your  son 
must  put  on  his  best  to  receive  your  favourites,  *  Sea- 
hill,'  and  '  Born  in  Orchid-time,'  *  Born-old,'  and 
*  Heaven's  Glory.' " 

"What  will  such  a  fine  baby's  little  mother  wear  to 
receive  her  guests  in  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

*'  Oh  '  let  me  see,  my  pink  gown  mother  sent  me  is  gay 
and  washes  well  if  it  gets  soiled.  It  is  only  a  cotton,  but  it 
looks  very  pretty.  The  natives  do  not  like  us  to 
wear  all  white  when  we  go  to  see  them  or  they  come  to 
see  us." 

The  doctor  got  up  to  leave  the  room. 

"  Charles,"  called  his  wife,  "  I  forgot  to  say  our  own 
Missionaries  are  coming  to  tea,  and  the  Consul  and 
some  others  probably.  You  must  be  sure  and  be  on 
hand  to  help  me." 

"  Cheer  up,  then,  and  if  no  one  sends  for  me,  I  will  do 
my  best  to  be  useful  at  home  for  a  change." 

The  birthday  party  was  a  great  success.  Presents  from 
natives  had  been  coming  in  all  day  for  '*  Ba-bee,"  and 
were  arranged  on  tables  on  the  verandah.  The  Mission- 
aries were  not  behind  the  Chinese  in  their  little  gifts,  and 
a  wonderful  array  of  all  sorts  and  kinds  of  presents  was 
on  view  all  day. 

The  Chinese  little  boys,  with  Ronald  in  his  high  chair, 
had  a  table  on  the  verandah,  and  they  being  older  than 
their  little  host,  were  able  to  eat  of  the  fruit  and  cakes 
before  them,  and  of  the  English  birthday  cake  which 
**  Arrived-late  "  had  made  under  Mrs.  Apricot's  direction 
and  iced  in  correct  fashion,  putting  Ronald's  name  in 
Chinese  and  his  birth  in  the  month  and  year  of  the  reign 
of  the  Emperor  of  China. 


40      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

"  Of  course  Ronald  is  having  some  Chinese  cakes  " 
began  the  doctor,  seeing  Amah  feeding  her  charge. 

"  I  hope  not,  he  is  too  young,  Charles,"  said  his  wife, 
"  Ronald  will  only  have  sponge  cake  and  milk." 

*' Not  any  birthday  cake?" — the  doctor  was  really 
cutting  it  to  hand  round. 

*'  No,"  said  Ronald's  mother  in  a  decided  little  tone. 
"  Charles,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greyman  are  waiting  for  cake," 
she  said  aloud,  and  under  her  breath  she  added,  "  Don't 
tease,  Charlie,  please,  and  do  hand  the  cake  round 
quickly." 

When  tea  was  over,  a  pretty  little  scene  took  place. 
All  the  Chinese  boys  presented  Ronald  with  a  little  gift, 
and  then  Ronald's  father  fetched  in  a  tray  with  four  nice 
sized  parcels  on  it,  tied  up  with  red  ribbon,  and  gave  one 
at  a  time  to  Ronald,  who  toddled  over  first  to  one  of  his 
little  guests  and  then  to  another,  giving  each  a  present  in 
return  from  himself.  As  he  ran  about  afterwards  laugh- 
ing and  clinging  to  his  father's  legs  or  his  mother's  skirt, 
he  quite  appeared  to  know  he  was  in  some  way  a  person 
of  much  importance  who  had  acquitted  himself  with 
credit. 

The  following  day  Ronald  had  another  present  from  his 
mother  which  he  enjoyed  best  of  all,  for  it  was  a  baby 
brother. 


CHAPTER  V 

GIVES  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  OPIUM  TRADE  WITH  CHINA 
AND  ITS  DEGRADING  INFLUENCE  ON  THE  PEOPLE. 
THE  HONORABLE  LI  GIVES  HIS  OPINION,  AND  HELPS 
TO  PROVIDE  MEANS  FOR  ENLARGING  THE  OPIUM 
REFUGES. 

THE  scourge  of  opium  smoking  in  China  has  been  so 
thoroughly  aired  in  the  public  press  during  the  last 
few  years,  that  little  need  be  said  here  upon  the 
subject  in  the  way  of  introducing  one  branch  of  the 
medical  work  of  the  Hospital  of  Universal  Benevolence. 

While  the  opium  traffic  was  not  the  sole  cause  of  war 
between  England  and  China  at  the  end  of  the  "  thirties  " 
and  beginning  of  the  "  forties"  of  the  last  century,  yet  that 
matters  connected  more  or  less  with  the  opium  trade,  and 
more  rather  than  less,  were  intimately  associated  with  the 
culminating  war-ultimatum  no  one  can  deny. 

By  the  treaty  of  Tientsin,  1858,  the  Chinese  were  com- 
pelled to  admit  opium  into  the  Empire,  and  at  the  time 
of  which  this  chapter  speaks  thousands  and  thousands  of 
victims  died  annually  as  a  result  of  the  habit  which  had 
grown  upon  them,  and  to  cure  which  they  knew  no 
remedy. 

That  the  trade  was  an  awful  curse  to  China  was  a  fact, 
no  part  of  the  country  being  really  free  from  it,  though 
the  nearer  the  ports  the  cheaper  the  drug,  and  therefore 
the  more  victims  fell  beneath  its  power. 

And  when  once  the  country  fell   beneath  its  seductive 

41 


42       DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW" 

spell  the  inhabitants  realized  they  could  not  get  the  opium 
quick  enough,  or  in  sufficient  quantities  to  supply  the 
demand,  even  though  from  thirty  to  forty  tons  a  week 
were  being  sent  into  the  country  from  India.  The  Chinese 
therefore  took  to  making  it  themselves,  giving  up  vast 
tracts  of  country,  used  hitherto  for  rice  production,  to 
growing  the  poppy. 

The  degrading  effect  of  this  drug  upon  the  population 
was  soon  evident.  The  rich  and  the  poor  alike  suffered. 
Officials  who,  as  they  said,  "  played  with  it,"  became  inert 
and  lax  in  their  duty  ;  merchants  in  like  manner  neglected 
their  business  ;  farmers  grew  careless  about  their  fields, 
artizans  were  useless  and  stupid  with  the  use  of  the  drug 
as  many  days  in  the  week  as  their  wages  of  the  previous 
week  were  able  to  provide  them  with  the  poison. 

Thousands  were  reduced  to  skeletons,  who,  having 
fallen  under  the  opium  snare,  preferred  opium  to  food  ; 
and  when  absolute  poverty  overcame  them  became  objects 
of  repulsion  to  all  around  them. 

For  the  drug  corrupts  the  moral  sense,  destroys  every 
virtue  and  good  feeling,  and  leads  men  and  women  once 
upright  and  virtuous  to  lie,  steal  and  deceive  every  one 
they  came  in  contact  with,  if  they  can  only  thereby  obtain 
more  of  the  poison  or  money  to  buy  it.  Men  sell  up  their 
homes,  bring  their  parents  to  penury,  sell  their  wives  as 
concubines  and  their  children  for  lives  of  sin,  if  only  they 
can  obtain  money  to  buy  opium. 

Opium  dens  are  sinks  of  iniquity,  and  opium  smoking  is 
usually  associated  with  all  the  lowest  vices,  of  many  of 
which  it  is  impossible  to  write. 

Sir  Thomas  Wade,  for  many  years  minister  at  Pekin, 
said  to  one  of  the  missionaries  when  speaking  on  the 
opium  traffic,  "  I  have  only  met  one  Chinaman  who 
defended  opium  smoking,  and  he  was  a  non-smoker." 

The  ignorance  evinced  by  people  who  defend  opium 
smoking    among    the    Chinese    is    far    beyond   that    of 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       43 

people  (if  there  be  any  now)  who  defend  drunkenness 
at  home. 

In  "  China's  Only  Hope  "  an  appeal  by  Chang  Chih- 
ting,  one  of  China's  greatest  statesmen  and  formerly 
Viceroy  of  Hu-peh,  and  Hu-nan,  says: — 

*'  Oh,  the  grief  and  destitution  this  drug  has  brought  to 
our  people.  Opium  has  spread  with  frightful  rapidity  and 
heartrending  results  throughout  the  provinces.  Millions 
upon  millions  have  been  struck  down  by  this  plague. 
To-day  it  is  ruining  like  wild-fire.  In  its  swift  and 
deadly  course,  it  is  spreading  devastation  everywhere, 
wrecking  the  minds,  eating  away  the  strength  and 
wealth  of  its  victims.  The  ruin  of  the  mind  is  the 
most  woeful  of  its  many  deleterious  effects.  This 
poison  enfeebles  the  will,  saps  the  strength  of  the 
body,  renders  the  consumer  incapable  of  performing 
his  regular  duties,  and  unfit  for  travel  from  one  place 
to  another. 

*'  It  consumes  his  substance,  and  reduces  the  miserable 
wretch  to  poverty,  barrenness,  and  senility.  Unless 
something  is  soon  done  to  arrest  this  awful  scourge  in  its 
devastating  march,  the  Chinese  people  will  be  trans- 
formed into  satyrs  and  devils  !  This  is  the  present  con- 
dition of  our  country." 

As  mentioned  in  the  Preface,  the  origin  of  the 
great  Medical  Mission  now  carried  on  in  the  city  of 
"  Heaven-below  "  was  a  small  Opium  Refuge  established 
in  the  year  1870,  though,  some  ten  years  earlier,  efforts 
more  or  less  transient  were  made  to  cure  the  opium 
habits  of  those  willing  to  undergo  treatment. 

And  the  original  purpose  has  never  in  the  succeeding 
years  been  lost  sight  of,  for  alongside  the  general  work 
of  the  Hospital  there  has  been  carried  on  the  work  of 
seeking  to  rescue  the  slaves  of  the  opium  pipe  from  this 
soul-and-body-destroying  curse. 

In  this  chapter  some  illustrations  will  be  given  of  this 


44      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW » 

branch  of  the  work  as  carried  on  in    the    Hospital   of 
Universal  Benevolence. 

One  of  the  first  lady  patients  who  asked  for  the  opium 
cure  was  Sen  T'ai  Tai.  When  she  found  that  her  little 
baby  continually  cried  and  would  not  be  satisfied  until  it 
had  a  few  whiffs  of  the  opium  pipe,  she  realised  the 
appalling  inheritance  she  was  transmitting  to  her 
children,  and  became  herself  willing  at  all  costs  to  give 
up  what  she  saw  would  be  a  curse  upon  their  young  lives. 

She  heard  the  Gospel  and  learnt  passages  of  scripture 
and  hymns  by  heart.  The  music  of  the  latter  attracted  her 
greatly,  and  she  managed,  with  a  little  help,  to  make  some 
of  them  out  on  the  harmonium. 

A  gentleman  who  was  cured  of  opium  smoking  in  the 
Men's  Refuge  was  converted  in  no  half-and-half  method 
during  his  stay,  for  in  the  following  months  and  years  he 
regained,  we  do  not  say  the  position  he  had  lost,  but 
something  far  in  advance ;  he  became  a  minister  of 
the  native  church  in  connection  with  one  of  the  other 
Missions,  and  an  able  "  fisher  of  men."  So  one  man 
sows  and  another  enters  into  his  labours  and  reaps  the 
harvest. 

What  a  tale  of  saved  lives,  saved  to  save  others, 
could  the  walls  of  that  Opium  Refuge  unfold  !  In  the  last 
day,  when  the  books  are  opened,  we  shall  know  what  can 
never  on  earth  be  fully  told — the  story  of  that  work. 

That  the  women  of  China  (as  well  as  the  men)  are 
addicted  to  the  habit  is,  alas  !  too  true.  One  lady  mis- 
sionary wrote  to  her  friend  Mrs.  Apricot :  '*  Of  the  many 
ladies'  houses  I  visit  in  this  city  ('  Heaven-below  ')  only 
four  are  free  from  the  use  of  the  opium  drug." 

**  In  one  house  as  I  entered,  the  opium  divan  was  all 
disarranged,  and  I  asked  my  hostess  i^  she  had  been 
smoking. 

"  She  made  excuse,  her  brother-in-law  had  been 
smoking. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      45 

*'  After  reading  and  explaining  the  Bible  to  her,  she 
asked  if  I  would  buy  her  a  Bible,  such  as  the  one  I  had 
on  a  previous  day  lent  to  her,  and  in  which  she  professed 
much  interest. 

*'  One  day  she  came  to  church  ;  it  was  the  first  time  at 
that  little  church  we  had  had  a  real  Chinese  lady.  She 
stayed  quite  a  long  time.  I  had  been  told  since  my  visit 
that  she  smoked  opium. 

"  *  You  must  call  me  by  my  name,'  she  said,  *  and  let 
me  call  you  God-mothsr.' 

"  I  took  her  hand,  saying  kindly,  '  You  would  not 
deceive  me.     Tell  me,  do  you  smoke  opium  ?  ' 

"  She  smiled,  but  said,  in  a  frightened  voice  :  '  You 
will  not  come  to  see  me  if  I  tell  you.' 

*'  '  Oh  yes,  I  will,'  I  answered. 

"  She  then  told  me  she  did  smoke  opium,  and  had  done 
so  for  three  years.'' 

Mrs.  Apricot  sighed  as  she  laid  down  the  letter.  "  So 
many  do  it,  so  many  do  it,"  she  said,  sadly,  as  she  rose 
up  to  begin  work  once  more. 

In  the  Men's  Opium  Refuge  much  patience  and  courage 
were  needed  in  dealing  with  the  cases  which  came  for 
cure. 

During  the  early  period  when  the  drug  was  first 
stopped,  the  patients  in  their  anguish  were  often  rough 
and  abusive.  Even  that  was  easier  to  combat  than  when 
they  were  subtle  and  ever  on  one  pretence  or  another 
breaking  rules  and  bribing  some  one  to  smuggle  the 
opium  in  to  them. 

What  hours  of  patient  teaching  and  wrestling  in  faith 
for  God's  power  to  be  manifested  in  these  helpless  victims 
often  went  on  !  Missionaries  and  Catechists  alike 
would  be  worn  out  before  the  patient,  exhausted  with  his 
struggle,  would  fall  asleep.  Alas !  sleeping  only  for  a 
while,  then  waking  to  go  through  struggles  as  severe 
many  an  hour  longer  before  the  final  victory  was  won. 


46      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

Most  difficult  are  some  cases  when  the  craving  is  upon 
them  and  the  victims  feel  unable  to  persevere  in  the 
course  of  treatment.  Chiefly  is  the  victory  won  by 
prayer  and  by  drawing  the  attention  away  from  their 
passionate  longing  for  the  drug  by  some  means  or 
other. 

But  the  fight  against  the  craving  is  often  nothing  less 
than  an  agony. 

The  length  of  time  the  opium  cure  usually  takes  is  one 
month.  By  the  time  these  four  weeks  are  passed  the  patient 
may  safely  return  home,  being  free  from  the  desire  for  it. 
Scores  of  cases,  even  in  the  early  days  of  the  work,  had 
been  permanently  cured,  and,  better  still,  through  the 
cure  they  and  their  friends  first  heard  of  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  many  believed  on  Him  to  the  saving  of 
their  souls. 

Over  a  hundred  such  cases  were  in  the  hospital  in  one 
year.  Of  these  a  few  left  in  despair,  unable  to  stand  the 
suffering  of  giving  up  the  drug.  Over  eighty  were  under 
treatment  the  whole  month  and  left  cured.  A  few  were 
unsatisfactory  in  other  respects,  but  were  cured  when 
leaving ;  whether  they  were  strong  enough  to  continue 
in  well-doing  one  could  not  tell. 

The  following  year  as  many  as  127  opium  smokers 
were  treated  the  full  term  of  cure.  Here  again,  how  many 
of  them  stood  fast  on  returning  home  it  would  be  difficult 
to  estimate.  The  doctor  often  told  people  :  "These  poor 
patients  were  like  half-burnt  sticks,  easily  rekindled." 

"  In  what  way  does  the  giving  up  of  opium  affect 
them  ?  "  one  interested  lady  once  asked  Dr.  Apricot. 

"  The  drug-taking  produces  intense  weakness,  and 
when  the  craving  has  departed,  the  system  needs  many 
months  of  good  food  and  tonics  to  build  up  the  constitu- 
tion, and  you  know  well,  the  ordinary  Chinaman  cannot 
afford  that.  Also  it  takes  considerable  grit  and  back- 
bone to  break  off  so  formidable  a  habit — and  many  a 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       47 

Chinaman  has  a  very  gelatinous  something  in  place  of  a 
backbone,  and  some  fall  with  a  very  faint  struggle." 

One  case  in  hospital  told  the  doctor  that  his  average 
earnings  (he  was  a  poor  man)  were  about  100  cash  a  day, 
about  2id.  of  our  English  money.  He  said  he  always 
spent  70  cash  a  day  on  opium  and  gave  30  cash  to  his  wife 
for  providing  the  family  with  food  !  His  poor  wife  had  to 
eke  out  the  money  by  winding  silk. 

Another  time  a  gentleman  asked  Dr.  Apricot  **how 
much  he  thought  people  used  in  a  year  on  opium  ?" 

"  There  are  many  in  this  city  of  '  Heaven-Below  '  whose 
opium-smoking  costs  them  not  less  than  400  dols.  a  year  ; 
some  families,  and  that  not  a  few,  whose  opium  bill  is  over 
2,000  dols. ;  and  at  least  10,000  dols.  a  year  is  consumed  in 
many  of  the  yamens." 

A  Mr.  Li,  an  official  who  felt  grateful  for  attentions  he 
had  received  during  an  illness,  pressed  a  donation  for  the 
work  upon  the  doctor  at  the  close  of  his  illness,  saying 
*'  You  need  more  room.  The  work  is  hard  and  the  good 
you  try  to  do  is  great,  and  for  the  good  of  my  country 
people.  We  know  this  drug  smoking  is  all  bad  work, 
and  leads  to  no  good  in  any  one,  but  for  poor  people  it  is 
ruin,  nothing  less.  I  admire  your  work,  and  wish  you  all 
success  with  it." 

Here  we  must  leave  the  work  at  present,  but  before  our 
story  closes  we  shall  see  a  further  stage  in  the  history  of 
this  demoralising  drug,  which  has  been  the  wonder  of  the 
world. 


CHAPTER   VI 

EXPLAINS  WHY  LATE  HOURS  ARE  NECESSARY,  THOUGH 
THEY  BEGET  TROUBLED  DAYS,  WITH  TEARS  AT  MID- 
DAY  AND    SMILES   AT    MIDNIGHT. 

IN  China  lepers  are  numerous,  more  especially  in  Mid- 
China  and  the  South.  They  are  frequently  allotted 
a  dell  in  which  to  build  their  mud  huts  and  live  in 
company ;  in  other  cases  a  street  is  given  over  to 
them,  or  a  village ;  but  in  some  places  asylums  are 
provided  by  the  authorities.  One  thing  is  in  all  parts  of 
the  country  evident — the  unwillingness  on  the  part  of  the 
clean  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  unclean. 

The  Chinese  themselves  cannot  tell  the  cause  of  the 
disease.  That  it  is  contagious  seems  very  certain,  though 
it  comes  in  many  cases  without  known  contact.  Some 
Chinese  think  that  it  is  due  in  some  instances  to  people 
having  sheltered  through  showers  of  rain  under  the  Chee- 
king-fa  tree.  They  assert  that  the  rain-water,  dropping 
from  the  leaves  of  this  tree  upon  the  exposed  parts  of  the 
body  cause  leprous  eruptions. 

In  such  cases  the  disease  follows  the  ordinary  course 
of  leprosy  ;  the  face  and  ears,  or  the  hands  and  feet  of  the 
sufferer  become  enlarged,  swollen  and  glossy;  finally 
running  sores  follow,  and  the  bones  of  the  fingers  and  toes 
drop  off  and  the  patient  loses  the  limbs  one  by  one." 

It  is  a  sad  fact  that  lepers  marry  amongst  them- 
selves and  often  have  families,  though  the  children  of 
such  unions  do  not  always  themselves  develop  leprosy. 

48 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       49 

The  occupation  of  lepers  is  very  limited;  in  some  parts 
they  are  herded  together  in  a  small  village  or  hamlet  and 
have  a  little  ground  which  they  are  allowed  to  till  so  as  to 
provide  rice  or  sweet  potatoes  and  beans  for  their  own 
use.  Where  the  land  is  dear,  and  ground  not  available 
near  their  hovels,  a  tax  is  levied  upon  the  people,  and  a 
fixed  sum  per  head  is  paid  to  them  for  food.  In  cases 
where  the  grant,  always  small,  rarely  ever  sufficing  its 
allotted  time,  fails,  ere  the  day  of  payment  comes  round, 
lepers  frequent  shops  and  refuse  to  leave,  thus  preventing 
any  trade  going  on,  until  the  shopman  pays  out  what  they 
consider  a  sufficient  gratuity  from  one  of  such  a  standing. 
In  other  cases  they  frequent  cemeteries  and  beg  from  the 
mourners,  who  know  that  if  they  do  not  freely  respond  the 
bodies  will  be  unearthed  and,  as  they  superstitiously 
believe,  the  disturbed  spirits  will  return  to  molest  and 
trouble  them  in  one  or  all  of  the  four  scourges,  viz.,  fire, 
water,  disease,  or  death.  Little  wonder,  then,  believing 
such  to  be  the  case,  they  give,  though  unwillingly,  to  the 
leper  suppliants. 

Dr.  Apricot,  one  morning  in  the  summer  following  the 
opening  of  the  hospital,  had  been  seeing  patients  in  his 
consulting  room  for  some  hours,  and  rose,  as  one  patient 
left  the  room,  going  out  into  the  garden  where  the  early 
ummer  flowers,  roses,  lilies,  lemon,  orange,  wisteria,  and 
syringa,  were  making  gladness  for  all  in  the  compound  by 
their  beauty  and  sweetness. 

The  doctor's  last  case  was  one  of  the  most  awfully 
diseased  lepers  he  had  ever  seen,  or  indeed  smelt  (for  the 
smell  of  these  poor  outcasts  is  often  most  appalling),  and 
he  had  come  out  into  the  fresh  air  for  a  few  moments 
while  the  small  room  was  disinfected  with  some  carbolic 
acid,  and  the  fresh  air  was  allowed  to  blow  through  it  by 
opening  the  Venetians  which  were  on  the  sunny  side  of 
the  room,  and  had  been  closed  on  account  of  the  heat. 

As  he  paced  up  and  down  once  or  twice  between  the 

£ 


50      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

flowers,  his  thoughts  passed  from  their  purity  to  the  pure 
and  holy  Saviour,  by  whose  precious  blood  the  soul, 
leprous  with  sin,  could  be  washed  and  made  sweet  for 
the  kingdom  of  God.  What  must  sin  look  like  to  the 
pure  all-seeing  eye  of  God  ?  thought  he,  as  he  compared 
the  loathsome  disease  he  had  just  been  considering,  to  a 
sin-stricken  soul. 

"  I  must  have  a  leper-house  for  men  and  women,"  he 
said.  **  I  could  alleviate  their  sufferings  and  tell  them 
of  Jesus  Christ  as  a  Saviour  from  sin,  and  thus  lead 
them  to  the  joys  above — for  here,  there  is  neither  health 
nor  joy  for  them,  poor  outcasts." 

Having  decided  this  in  his  own  mind.  Dr.  Apricot 
returned  to  his  consulting  room,  took  up  his  case- 
book, made  an  entry  of  the  last  case  in  red  ink  instead  of 
black,  blotted  it  with  extreme  care,  and,  though  the  page 
was  not  finished,  left  it  blank,  turning  over  to  a  fresh 
page  as  the  next  new  sufferer  presented  himself  before  him. 

After  all  the  work  of  the  day  was  over,  the  tired  doctor 
sat  down  in  his  private  room  to  write  letters,  which  took 
so  long  that  the  small  hours  of  the  morning  found  him 
still  begging  for  money  to  buy  a  piece  of  land  over  the 
wall  of  his  own  garden  which  could  be  utilized  for  both 
men  and  women  lepers,  for  the  time  being  at  any  rate. 
It  was  a  convenient  block,  having  two  buildings  in  two 
different  yards  with  an  enclosing  wall,  and  would  be  very 
suitable,  he  thought,  for  beginning  operations  for  the 
relief  of  these  afflicted  people. 

He  was  therefore  very  late  going  to  bed,  and,  over  tired 
in  brain  and  body,  could  not  sleep  when  he  did  get  there. 
Morning  dawned  all  too  soon,  and  with  it  the  noise  and 
hum  of  city  life  was  once  more  afloat.  Weary,  the  doctor 
rose  to  begin  a  fresh  day  without  fresh  vigour,  and  the 
usual  duties  hung  wearily  as  the  hours  wore  away. 

At  tififln,  when  the  doctor  and  Mrs.  Apricot  met,  she 
noticed  the  grey,  weary  appearance  of  her  husband. 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       51 

*'  Charlie,  I  am  sure  you  are  not  well,"  she  said. 

"  No,  not  quite,"  he  replied,  and  yawned  as  he  sat 
down  in  his  chair — another  yawn  following  hard  after. 

'^  Are  you  sleepy,  already  ?  " 

"  No !  I  really  don't  think  so,"  he  said,  but  he  yawned 
again.  "  I  know  I  did  not  sleep  well  last  night,  I  was 
too  late  getting  to  bed." 

The  doctor  served  his  wife,  and  then  leaned  his  head 
on  his  hand. 

"  Do  try  and  eat,  Charhe,"  said  Mrs.  Apricot ;  "  fasting 
won't  improve  your  health,  working  as  you  do  so  hard 
every  day." 

*'  I  really  don't  think  it  possible  to  touch  food  just 
now,"  and  he  shivered  from  head  to  foot.  "  Perhaps  I 
have  an  attack  of  malarial  fever  coming  on." 

She  rose  and  fetched  her  thermometer,  and  took  his 
temperature  at  once.  It  was  over  103°,  and  she  did  not 
wonder  he  was  out  of  sorts. 

"  You  must  go  to  bed,  Charlie,  at  once,  and  I  will  give 
you  some  medicine,"  she  urged  gently. 

"  I  think  I  will,"  he  replied.  "  I  must  have  been  fight- 
ing it  for  a  day  or  two  past." 

There  was  much  consternation  as  Mrs.  Apricot 
called  "Arrived-late,"  and  told  him  the  doctor  was 
ill  with  fever.  He  ran  upstairs,  closed  the  Venetian 
shutters,  and  helped  his  master  into  bed — while  Mrs. 
Apricot  got  hot-water  bottles  and  medicine  for  her 
husband. 

Her  tears  fell  fast  for  a  moment  as  she  realized  all  he 
meant  to  her  and  the  natives  around  them,  and  pra3/ed 
God  to  raise  him  up  quickly  to  again  carry  on  the  work 
He  had  given  him  to  do. 

She  found  that  "  Arrived-late  "  had  sensibly  taken  away 
the  sheets  and  wrapped  the  poor  shivering  man  in 
blankets.  Then,  leaving  her  with  the  doctor,  he  went 
down,   prepared   a    tray   with   some   luncheon    for    his 


52       DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

mistress,  and  carried  it  to  the  bedroom,  that  she  could 
finish  her  lunch  beside  him. 

Amah  crept  in  quietly  when  Ronald  was  having  his 
afternoon  sleep  to  see  if  she  could  do  anything  to  help 
her  dear  mistress. 

"  I  think  you  not  very  much  fret — doctor  number  one 
strong  man.  Fever  very  bad  one  two  days,  but  then  one 
day  come  some  better,"  she  said,  trying  to  comfort  her 
with  hope  that  in  a  few  days  the  worst  would  be  over. 

At  night  the  doctor's  temperature  was  104°,  and  Mrs. 
Apricot  and  Amah  gave  a  wet  pack,  for  now  the  fever  was 
running  very  high,  and  the  head  was  exceedingly  trouble- 
some. 

But  two  hours  later  the  temperature  was  higher  still, 
105'',  and  the  doctor  was  unconscious.  "  Arrived-late  " 
never  thought  of  going  to  bed ;  he  was  in  and  out  of  the 
room  in  his  bare  feet,  silently  fetching  and  carrying,  only 
too  happy  to  be  of  service. 

"Fetch  water  from  the  well,  very  cold,"  Mrs.  Apricot 
said,  "several  pails  full,  and  fetch  bath  here  beside  bed." 
In  a  short  time  the  other  coolies  were  roused,  and, 
between  them,  they  lifted  the  unconscious  doctor  wrapped 
in  the  wet  pack  into  the  bath. 

After  a  few  moments  he  was  lifted  again  in  the  cold, 
wet  sheet  on  to  the  blanket  and  wrapped  in  mackintosh 
and  a  little  brandy  was  given. 

After  another  hour  the  temperature  was  again  taken  and 
found  to  be  lower,  but  still  104°,  so  Mrs.  Apricot  again  gave 
a  cold  water  bath  as  before.  After  a  fresh  period  of  waiting 
the  temperature  was  found  to  be  still  lower,  only  103°, 
and  the  doctor  appeared  to  sleep.  In  twenty  minutes 
a  heavy  perspiration,  much  more  free  than  the 
former  ones,  broke  out,  and  the  doctor  became  conscious 
again.  After  due  waiting  he  was  rubbed  down  and  put 
into  dry  warm  flannels  and  fresh  warm  blankets.  Having 
taken  some  brandy  and  milk  he  fell  asleep,  and  at  mid,- 


DOCTOR   APRl'COT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"       53 

night  awoke  feeling  much  better,  and  praised  his  faithful 
wife  for  her  clever  treatment,  promising  her  a  diploma  as 
soon  as  he  was  well  enough  to  present  it ! 

This  gentle  raillery  relieved  the  tension  and  brought 
smiles  to  her  face  once  more. 

In  the  morning  the  doctor's  temperature  was  102°,  and 
he  felt  a  great  deal  better,  but  weak  and  drowsy.  After  a 
few  days'  rest  he  recovered  a  normal  temperature  and 
pulse,  and  went  off  on  the  sixth  day  for  a  few  days'  stay 
on  the  hills,  where  the  remains  of  his  illness  took  to 
themselves  wings  and  flew  away. 

The  mail  from  England  which  brought  replies  to  the 
doctor's  letters  re  funds  for  a  leper  refuge  carried  with  it 
subscriptions  from  his  friends  in  Scotland,  members  of 
the  Leper  Mission,  which  enabled  him,  with  other  funds 
he  had  already  raised,  to  buy  the  land  on  the  other 
side  of  the  garden  wall  of  his  own  compound  and  adapt 
the  buildings  he  found  there  to  a  small  refuge  for  women, 
in  one  yard,  and  for  men  in  the  other  yard.  A  wall 
enclosed  both  yards  and  made  it  a  convenient  annexe 
to  the  general  hospital  grounds. 

To  secure  suitable  attendants  and  a  cook  and  coolie 
was  the  next  business,  and  when  that  was  done  the 
buildings  were  consecrated  by  prayer  to  the  Glory  of  God 
and  the  good  of  lepers. 

Once  the  hospital  was  secured  there  was  no  lack  of 
patients  for  either  the  men's  department  or  the  women's. 

The  Women's  Leper  Hospital  had  accommodation  for 
six  patients. 

The  patients  did  not  pay  anything  here,  as  in  the 
General  Hospital,  for  board,  but  were  taken  in  free  of 
charge,  being  supported  by  the  Mission  to  Lepers,  and 
allowed  to  stay  as  long  as  they  liked,  or  until  they  died. 

One  patient,  a  school-girl,  had  been  in  one  of  the 
American  Mission  Schools  for  over  seven  years.  Leprosy 
developed  when  she  was  fifteen,  but  the  symptoms  were 


54      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

not  recognised,  and  she  was  kept  on  at  school.  She 
was  an  earnest  Christian  and  a  very  bright,  amiable 
girl,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  gladly  utilised  her  to  teach  her 
companions  in  affliction  to  read  and  knit,  and  above  all, 
those  divine  truths  which  she  herself  believed. 

"  Cloud,"  another  leper  patient,  younger  than  the 
others,  gave  her  benefactors  trouble  of  rather  an  unusual 
character.  This  poor  young  woman  had  a  great  desire 
to  be  married,  and  as  the  nature  of  her  disease  was  only 
marked  by  her  hand,  which  appeared  like  a  bird's  claw, 
and  a  small  patch  on  one  cheek,  she  could  not,  or  would 
not,  understand  why  for  her  to  contract  marriage  was 
such  an  undesirable  thing.  True,  many  would  see  her 
and  not,  at  that  stage  of  the  disease,  know  she  had 
leprosy.  Her  parents  wanted  money,  and  had  been,  it  is 
believed,  the  first  to  suggest  this  means  of  obtaining  some, 
but  the  girl  herself  was  more  than  willing  to  oblige  them. 
So  after  Mrs.  Apricot  had  striven  vainly  with  her  she  at 
last  left  the  shelter  which  otherwise  might  have  been  hers 
while  her  life  lasted. 

One  woman  in  the  hospital,  a  Christian  called 
*' Beautiful"  (so-called  because  she  was  good-looking 
when  young),  was  a  very  sad  case ;  though  not  old  she 
had  suffered  so  much  as  to  have  the  appearance  of  a  very 
aged  woman.  Her  leprosy  became  worse  and  worse  until 
she  seemed  to  be  a  mass  of  disease  and  decay.  Yet,  as 
the  earthly  house  of  her  tabernacle  dissolved,  her  spirit 
became  more  and  more  bright  and  happy. 

All  the  Missionaries  and  native  Christians  loved,  in 
spite  of  the  distressing  appearance  of  the  woman,  to  go 
and  see  her,  and  came  away  rejoicing  in  God's. power 
manifested  in  her. 

She  was  often  a  real  blessing  to  Mrs.  Apricot,  cheering 
her  amid  much  that,  in  the  nature  of  her  work,  would  at 
times  cast  her  down,  or  bring  a  shadow  of  anxiety  upon 
her  usually  happy  face.  One  morning  she  said  "  Shadows, 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW      55 

lady,  only  last  during  this  life,  so  we  may  well  be  brave ; 
in  the  kingdom  of  God  the  Sun  of  righteousness  shines 
in  all  His  glory  and  no  shadows  cross  the  brilliance  of 
His  shining." 

**True  words,  *  Beautiful,'"  replied  the  Missionary, 
"  God  does  indeed  use  you  to  teach  me  to  have  more 
patience  and  trust  in  Him." 

"  Speak  not  such  words,  lady  beloved,"  replied 
"Beautiful,"  "  I  am  truly  the  least  of  those  He  deigns  to 
call  His  children." 

"  How  is  it, '  Beautiful,'  you  are  so  happy  and  contented, 
with  all  your  affliction  ?  Many  would  worry  and  fret  con- 
tinually,"   asked  Mrs.   Apricot  gently. 

'*  Ah,  beloved  lady,  perhaps  it  is  because  I  am  so 
loathsome  here,  and  am  going  so  soon  now,  to  have  a 
clean,  pure  body,  like  Christ's  own  glorious  body,  and  to 
have  His  beautiful  robe  of  righteousness  to  clothe  me. 
When  this  burden-of-diseased-flesh  is  quickly  put  out  of 
sight  to  sleep  in  the  garden  of  God,  '  Beautiful'  herself 
will  be  awake  and  praising  God  in  His  kingdom  above." 

Tears  rolled  do\/n  Mrs.  Apricot's  cheeks,  as  she  thought 
"  out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  ....  hast  Thou  per- 
fected praise." 

The  evening  shadows  were  falling  when  the  doctor 
came  in  to  see  "  Beautiful  "  and  found  her  so  weak  he 
thought  she  would  not  live  through  the  night. 

"  Doctor,"  she  whispered  faintly. 

*'  I  am  here,  'Beautiful,'"  he  replied. 

"  When  I  was  young,"  she  said,  "  they  called  me 
Beautiful  because  I  was  good-to-see  in  their  eyes,  but  this 
affliction  has  made  my  body  foul,  my  face — much- 
ashamed." 

The  words  came  slowly  and  faintly,  but  the  doctor 
waited,  praying  in  his  heart  for  the  passing  soul  of  his 
patient. 

"  Soon — over — now,"     she    continued,    "  one— look — 


56      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

Jesus  —  all  forgotten  —  pure  —  and  clean — for  —  ever — 
more." 

*'When  you  wake  up  you  will  be  fully  satisfied,"  said 
the  doctor  gently,  "satisfied  when  you  awake  in  His 
likeness." 

The  other  patients  had  crept  in  softly — the  leper  nurse 
sobbed  in  a  subdued  sort  of  way  in  the  corner  of  the  little 
ward,  the  last  rays  of  the  sunset  fell  across  the  bed,  and 
Dr.  Apricot  bent  down  to  catch  the  words,  if  possible,  of 
the  quickly  stiffening  lips.  The  arch  enemy  of  souls 
was  having  a  last  battle  with  the  poor  departing  spirit. 

"  True — a — leper — once,  but — washed — made — clean — 
in — Jesu's — blood. 

The  doctor  knelt  down  and  pra3-ed  distinctly,  hoping 
she  could  hear,  if  not  yet  loosed  from  her  body. 

"  Our  loving  Father,  look  in  Thy  loving  mercy  on  the 
departing  soul  of  this  Thy  child.  Suffer  not  the  devil  to 
harass  her  mind  with  doubts.  We  praise  Thee  for  her 
patience  and  trust ;  for  her  courage  and  hope,  and  all  the 
lessons  Thou  hast  taught  us  through  her.  Oh  grant  her 
even  now  as  we  wait  a  peaceful  passage  into  Thy  presence 
and  may  fulness  of  joy  be  hers  for  evermore.     Amen." 

When  they  rose  the  ward  was  in  darkness.  Nurse 
Do-ra  brought  a  lamp  and  they  saw  "  Beautiful  "  had 
reached  "  her  Father's  house  in  peace," 

A  small  room  capable  of  holding  all  the  lepers  was 
arranged  as  a  chapel,  and  here,  morning  by  morning,  the 
catechist  would  hold  a  service  for  all  who  could  get  there. 

The  bedridden  lepers  were  taught  daily  beside  their 
beds,  and  evening  prayers  closed  the  duties  of  the  day  in 
each  ward.  So  from  their  entrance  into  the  hospital 
gospel  teaching  was  a  regular  feature  of  the  routine  of  the 
day. 

As  a  rule  these  services  were  much  valued  and  enjoyed 
by  the  patients.  Of  earthly  hope  there  was  none,  and 
the  desire  of  missionaries  and  catechists  alike  was  to  lead 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW  "      57 

these  poor  outcast  men  and  women  to  fix  their  hopes  on 
things  above. 

Often  discouraged  in  the  work,  but  never  giving  up 
hope,  the  seed  was  day  by  day  faithfully  sown,  and  brought 
forth  fruit  in  greater  or  lesser  degree,  according  to  the 
faith  of  the  recipients. 

Some  asked  for  baptism,  and  after  giving  evidence  of 
their  faith,  were  baptised  and  received  into  the  Church  of 
Christ. 

Among  the  men  lepers  good  results  were  also  seen  from 
the  general  behaviour  and  example  of  those  who  became 
Christians.  By  their  cheerfulness  and  amiability  others 
were  won  for  the  Christ  whom  they  themselves  had  but 
lately  begun  to  trust  in. 

Of  these  "  Beseech-Mercy "  was  the  most  beautiful 
illustration  ;  his  case  was  most  pathetic. 

He  was  in  the  Leper  Home,  but  when  that  Home  became 
too  small.  Dr.  Apricot  secured,  through  the  kindness 
of  friends,  a  large  piece  of  land  by  the  West  Lake,  outside 
the  city,  some  three  or  four  miles  up  among  the  hills, 
where  he  built  a  beautiful  Home  which  would  accommo- 
date forty  or  more  lepers,  and  *'  Beseech-Mercy  "  was 
one  of  the  first  transferred  there.  He  was  led  to  Christ 
during  the  first  years  of  his  residence  under  the  care  of 
the  Hospital  doctors. 

Always  a  favourite  because  of  his  simple  faith  and 
contented  spirit,  he  grew  to  be  a  dear  friend  to  the 
Missionaries,  strengthening  their  patience  and  faith  by 
his  own  during  the  years  he  tarried  with  them. 

The  leprosy  gained  steadily  upon  his  poor  frail  body, 
but  his  spiritual  strength  increased  month  by  month. 

One  Christmas  he  was  asked  what  he  would  like  to 
choose  for  a  Christmas  gift  from  the  kind  doctor  and  his 
wife,  who,  while  they  could  gauge  the  desires  of  those  who 
were  less  afflicted,  found  it  hard  to  imagine  what  would 
give  most  pleasure  to  one  so  grievously  burdened. 


58      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

"  Beseech-Mercy  "  replied: — 

"  Lady  beloved,  I  should  like  a  hymn-book  of  my  own 
and  a  hassock  to  kneel  upon." 

He  had  no  doubt  as  to  his  wants  ! 

Wondering  if  the  hymn-book  would  be  of  any  service 
to  him  as  he  was  quite  blind,  they  got  him  a  red  one, 
knowing  the  pleasure  red  things  give  to  the  Chinese,  and 
the  hassock  also  was  presented. 

Before  he  died  the  hassock  was  well  worn  by  this 
faithful  Christian,  who  prayed  continually,  with  all  faith 
and  expectation,  for  himself  and  the  work  and  his  fellow 
lepers.  He  ever  tried,  by  teaching  what  he  had  himself 
learnt,  both  by  precept  and  example,  to  lead  others  to 
Christ,  and  was  successful  in  several  cases. 

The  hymn-book  he  utilized  by  getting  the  lepers  who 
could  see  to  sit  by  his  bedside  and  read  his  favourite 
hymns  over  to  him  until  he  learnt  many  by  heart.  He 
was  very  fond  of  singing,  and  was  often  heard  teaching 
the  others  to  sing. 

When  the  ladies  went  up  with  the  doctor  or  his  wife  to 
see  the  lepers  it  became  a  usual  thing  to  assemble  in 
"  Beseech-Mercy's  "  room  and  say  : 

*'  Now  *  Beseech-Mercy  '  sing  to  us  before  we  go." 

And  turning  a  radiantly  bright  (although  diseased)  face 
to  his  friend,  he  would  sing,  meaning  every  word  of  it, 
"  There  is  a  happy  land,  fair  fair  as  day." 

One  day  in  the  hot  summer  months  when  the  doctor's 
wife  was  nursing  some  one  in  the  Missionary's  Convales- 
cent bungalow,  she  received  a  message  that  "  Beseech- 
Mercy  "  wanted  much  to  see  her. 

*'Well,  *  Beseech-Mercy,' what  can  I  do  for  you?" 
Mrs.  Apricot  asked  tenderly  of  the  leper  saint. 

'*  I  want  you  to  care  for  the  son  of  *  Willing  Service,* 
he  has  been  as  a  son  to  me  in  my  much  troubled  and 
afflicted  life,  and  he  is  anxious  about  him,  and  I  would 
beg  this  favour  for  him  before  I  die." 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      59 

**  Yes,  I  will  do  what  I  can,  and  try  and  arrange  to 
take  him  into  my  Children's  Home,  if  that  will  ease  your 
mind." 

*'  Great  thanks,  lady,  great  thanks  ;  I  wanted  to  arrange 
this  relief  from  anxiety  for  '  Willing  Service  '  about  his 
child  before  I  passed  over." 

As  Mrs.  Apricot  sat  beside  him  he  said : 

"  I  do  not  wish  any  unnecessary  expense  when  I  die ; 
any  old  box  will  do  for  my  body  and  this  old  suit  of 
clothes." 

Another  time  he  said  : 

"  I  shall  be  glad  if  God  will  take  me  home  soon." 

He  had  no  fear ;  he  only  longed  to  be  free  from  earth 
and  present  with  the  Lord. 

Just  before  he  died  in  the  autumn,  when  the  Lake  side 
looked  glorious  in  its  autumn  colouring  and  the  leaves 
were  beginning  to  fall,  Mrs.  Apricot  saw  him  again. 
"  Willing  Service  "  was  lovingly  ministering  to  him  as  of 
old,  but  sorrowfully  now,  realizing  that  the  time  his 
father  in  Christ  would  be  with  him  was  daily  growing 
shorter. 

His  request  this  time  was  to  be  buried  in  a  fresh  white 
suit. 

Mrs.  Apricot  waited  till  the  dressings  were  finished  and 
then  read  to  him  from  the  Bible. 

''Sing  me  the  'Happy  Land,'  lady  beloved,"  said 
the  saint. 

And  with  her  heart  aching  for  him  she  sang  the  song 
he  loved  so,  of  the  home  above,  the  sorrows  over,  and  the 
victory  won.  The  lepers  had  all  gathered  in  and  knelt 
reverently  as  prayer  was  offered  up  for  "  Beseech- Mercy  " 
that  he  might  have  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  Life 
Eternal. 

All  the  lepers  were  hushed  in  their  spirits — they  realized 
that  the  friend  who  had  loved  them,  and  had  tried  to  lead 
them  to  the  place  whither  he  himself  was  going,  was  even 


6o      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

now  at  the  crossing  of  the  river,  and  would  soon  be 
passed  out  of  their  sight. 

Two  days  later,  surrounded  by  them  all,  he  passed  over 
at  midnight  to  meet  the  Lord  of  Glory  in  His  Home  so 
fair. 

They  laid  his  body  in  a  white  suit  and  wrapped  it  in  a 
white  wadded  quilt  and  enclosed  it  in  a  plain  coffin,  on 
the  lid  of  which  one  of  the  lepers  wrote  in  Chinese  : 

"Beseech  Mercy." 

Aged  34. 

Died  in  the  Lord. 

Nov.  14,  1905. 

Mrs.  Apricot  and  the  other  ladies,  with  the  doctors, 
assembled  in  the  leper  chapel  for  the  first  part  of  the 
service,  which  was  taken  by  the  Chinese  pastor. 

They  had  plucked  handfuls  of  chrysanthemums,  pure 
and  white,  as  they  came  from  the  Pagoda  Convalescent 
Home,  and  these  they  placed  upon  the  coffin  as  it  was 
carried  to  its  last  resting  place.  Here  another  native 
pastor  finished  the  service,  and  after  singing  the  sainted 
leper's  favourite  hymn,  Dr.  Apricot  prayed.  Few  who 
heard  it  will  forget  that  touching  thanksgiving  for  the  life 
of  the  leper  who  had  passed  away,  for  the  lessons  of 
patient  hope  and  courage  learnt  at  his  bedside,  and  the 
prayer  that  his  life  might  still  influence  those  left  behind 
to  follow  in  his  footsteps  as  he  followed  Christ. 

So  within  sound  of  the  lapping  waters  of  the  lake, 
amid  the  beauty  of  the  autumn  day,  they  left  the  tired 
body  to  sleep  until  "  the  daybreak  and  the  shadows  flee 
away." 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE  CONSECRATED  HOME-LIFE  AND  HOME-JOY  ACTS  AS  A 
"  CHEER-UP  "  TO  A  WEARY  WORKER;  AND  AMAH'S 
MESSAGE    NERVES    HER    SPIRIT    FOR    FRESH    EFFORT. 

OUR  story  is  of  the  medical  work  of  a  Mission,  and 
therefore  few  workers  other  than  the  Medical 
Missionaries  come  into  the  narrative. 

Other  Missionaries,  however,  clerical  and  lay,  married 
or  single,  had  come  out  year  by  year  in  increasing 
numbers  to  join  the  Mission  circle  of  "  Heaven-Below," 
and  to  work  in  the  surrounding  towns  and  villages. 

The  home-life  of  the  married  Missionaries  was 
especially  helpful  to  the  native  Christians,  who  marvelled 
to  see  the  equality  of  husband  and  wife,  and  their  mutual 
helpfulness  in  the  Mission  work. 

The  presence  of  the  ladies  and  their  efforts  in  the 
Mission-field  also  greatly  strengthened  the  general  work  of 
the  Church,  for  women  as  a  rule  in  China  do  not  attend 
places  of  worship  where  there  is  only  an  unmarried 
Missionary  or  unmarried  Catechist ;  and  where  the  women 
in  the  home  are  not  secured  for  Christ  and  the  Church, 
they  are  an  added  weapon  in  the  hands  of  the  devil  to 
hinder  the  men  from  entering  the  Kingdom. 

So  the  work  and  responsibility  of  Dr.  Apricot  had 
considerably  increased  from  a  medical  point  of  view  in 
the  care  of  health  of  the  Missionaries. 

**  Gertie/'  said  Dr.  Apricot  one  morning  when  he  sat 


62       DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

down  to  lunch,  "  could  you  do  with  a  visitor  for  a  short 
time,  say  a  couple  of  weeks  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,  Charlie ;  who  is  coming  ?  "  she  replied. 

*'  No  one,  unless  you  will  promise  to  take  care  of  your- 
self, and  not  let  the  extra  work  be  too  much  for  you." 

"  Well,  I  promise  to  do  my  best.  Now,  who  is  it  ?  " 
inquired  his  wife  eagerly. 

"  I  thought  it  would  do  Miss  Floymer  such  a  lot  of 
good  to  spend  a  little  while  here  and  play  with  the  babies, 
and  learn  to  laugh  again.  She  has  had  fever,  and  does 
not  pick  up  quickly  enough,  and  things  worry  and  try 
her." 

"  All  right,"  said  his  wife  cheerily,  "  we  will  put  her  to 
sleep  next  door  to  the  nursery,  and  then  she  can  hear 
their  happy  chatter,  and  baby  laughter,  when  I  have  to 
be  busy." 

''  You  had  better  try  and  do  a  little  less,  and  have  a 
ride  after  four  every  day ;  you  get  sadly  too  little  exercise, 
Gertie,  yourself." 

"I  get  such  a  lot  up  and  down  steps  at  the  hospital,  up 
and  down  here,  looking  after  patients  and  babies,  home, 
and  refuges— my  dear  Charles,  I  truly  don't  know  how  I 
am  to  get  any  more,"  and  his  wife  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  I  know  you  do  wonderfully,  my  wife,  but  I  often 
grieve  that  your  life  is  passed  so  much  in  serving ;  you 
must  pull  in  a  little  and  get  out-door  air  more." 

The  next  day  Miss  Floymer  arrived  in  time  for  lunch, 
and  Mrs.  Apricot  took  her  into  a  pretty  room,  where  she 
saw  many  little  evidences  of  her  hostess's  thoughtful 
care. 

"  Now,  dear,  this  is  your  room  while  you  are  with  us. 
Lie  down  whenever  you  feel  tired  on  the  long  chair  out 
there  on  the  verandah.  These  books  are  all  pretty  stories 
and  will  rest  your  head  from  Chinese  work,"  Mrs.  Apricot 
said,  as  she  pointed  to  a  little  bookcase  she  had  placed  on 
the  mantel-shelf. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      63 

"  Ah  !  those  flowers  !  How  lovely  they  are  !  "  cried 
Miss  Floymer,  burying  her  nose  in  some  freshly-picked 
syringa  blossoms.  "  There  are  such  a  lot  of  bushes  in 
my  father's  shrubberies  of  syringas  just  like  those.  It 
was  kind  of  you  to  put  them  there  for  me." 

''Now  we  shall  just  have  five  minutes  to  unpack  your 
things  into  these  cupboards,  and  then  you  will  feel  at 
home,"  said  Mrs.  Apricot. 

When  the  luncheon  bell  sounded  they  had  finished 
putting  things  tidy  and  went  down  to  lunch. 

The  fun  and  laughter  at  lunch  was  quite  new  to  the 
young  Missionary,  who  had  been  living  with  others 
engrossed  in  their  work.  She  had  been  feeling  very 
lonely  for  some  weeks  lately  while  she  had  been  wrestling 
with  the  language  previous  to  taking  her  first  year's 
examination.  Then  fever  had  pulled  her  down,  and  while 
she  was  ill  the  loneliness  was  emphasised  still  more.  So 
the  good  doctor,  who  always  saw  farther  than  most 
people,  knew  his  wife's  brightness  and  love  and  his 
babies'  merry  talk  were  really  the  little  bit  of  home  life 
that  would  hearten  up  the  invalid  more  than  his  medicine. 

The  children,  in  their  spotless  white  clothes,  came  in 
after  lunch  to  see  *'Daddie";  and  little  Ronald  and 
Baby  Fergus  had  just  a  quarter  of  an  hour  of  fun  and 
games  with  their  father  and  mother  before  he  began  his 
work  once  more. 

"  Daddie,  let  me  walk  up  you  to  see  the  shining  place 
on  your  head,"  cried  Ronald,  who  had  played  that  game 
before. 

So  he  began  holding  himself  stiffly  on  to  his  father's 
hands,  and  after  several  fruitless  efforts  at  last  reached 
his  father's  shoulders,  where  he  sat  as  proudly  as  any  king 
upon  a  throne. 

''How  big  is  the  place  now,  Ronald?"  asked  his 
mother,  who  pretended  she  could  not  see  it,  and 
depended  anxiously  on  Ronald's  examination  for  a  daily 


64      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

report  of  the  wee  bald  patch  that  had  begun  to  shew 
itself  on  the  Doctor's  head. 

*'  It's  velly  big  now,  Musser,"  cried  the  child. 

"  How  big,  Ronald  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  One  money's  big,"  he  replied. 

**  As  big  as  a  cash  !  Oh  !  Ronald,  what  can  we  do  for 
poor  Daddy  ?  " 

"  I'se  give  him  some  of  my  curls  to  put  on,  Musser," 
and  as  he  spoke  the  child  tore  a  little  handful  of 
his  own  curls  from  his  head  and  held  them  out  to  his 
mother. 

"  Ronald  has  really  pulled  quite  a  lot  of  hair  out  of  his 
head  to  cover  up  your  wee  patch,  Charlie ;  do  look,''  said 
his  wife. 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  child,"  said  Miss  Floymer.  '*  Did 
you  not  hurt  yourself,  Ronnie  ?  " 

"  Didn't  hurt  nothing,"  said  the  child,  flushing. 

"  Oh  !  Mums,  it  won't  stick  on,"  and  Ronnie  began  to 
cry.     "  Won't  stick  on,  Mums,"  he  sobbed. 

The  Doctor  lifted  the  child  down  from  his  shoulder. 
"  Never  mind,  Ronald,  come  and  see  father  get  on 
gee-gee.  Where  is  that  piece  of  bread  you  were  going  to 
give  the  brown  gee-gee  ?  " 

The  Doctor  pulled  the  verandah  bell,  and  the  ma-foo 
brought  round  his  horse,  and  then  held  Ronald  up  to  give 
the  bread. 

"Now,  good  people,"  said  the  Doctor  when  he  had 
mounted,  "  these  are  my  orders.  Take  the  babies  to 
Amah,  and  both  of  you  lie  down  and  rest  for  an  hour. 
Then  you  can  amuse  3'ourselves  as  you  like  till  three-thirty, 
when  I  have,  ordered  two  horses  to  come  round,  and  I 
want  you  to  ride  out  to  the  Sanatorium  and  make  tea  for 
me ;  I  shall  be  there  about  four-thirty.  You  can  send 
one  of  the  coolies  over  with  the  things  now,  and  tell  him 
to  have  boiling  water  and  tea  ready  for  us." 

''  Good-bye,"    shouted     Ronald.       "  Bye-bye,"     cried 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      65 

Fergus,  waving  his  baby  hands,  and  the  doctor  was  soon 
out  of  sight. 

"Where  has  the  Doctor  gone  to?"  asked  Miss 
Floymer. 

"  Oh  !  I  really  don't  know,"  Mrs.  Apricot  replied,  "to 
see  private  patients,  probably,  among  the  Chinese  or 
Americans,  or  Europeans.  He  must  have  a  good  round 
to  do  if  he  won't  be  at  the  Sanatorium  before  4.30.  Now 
we  must  obey  orders,"  and,  picking  up  Baby  Fergus,  and 
taking  Ronald  by  the  hand,  she  said,  "  Off  to  see  Amah, 
and  the  nursery  gee-gee.     Children,  come  along." 

"  Now,  do  turn  in  and  rest  yourself,  or  read,  until  it  is 
time  to  get  ready.  Have  you  a  riding  habit  with  you  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Apricot. 

"  Yes,  the  Doctor  told  me  yesterday  morning  to  get 
the  tailor  to  make  one  for  me,  as  I  should  want  one 
here,  and  the  man  really  got  it  done  and  brought  it  this 
morning." 

"Are  not  the  Chinese  quick  about  things  like  that? 
Well!  good-bye." 

The  ride  out  to  the  West  Lake  Sanatorium  was  always 
a  treat  and  in  the  lovely  clear  afternoon  both  ladies  much 
enjoyed  it.  There  the  doctor  soon  joined  them,  and 
after  tea  they  all  rode  back  together,  arriving  just  before 
dark. 

"Now  run  in  and  have  a  hot  bath  and  put  on  dry 
things  both  of  you,"  said  the  doctor  as  he  made  off  to 
take  his  own  advice,  for  they  had  ridden  back  very 
quickly. 

The  days  went  by  all  too  swiftly  for  Miss  Floymer,  who 
enjoyed  every  minute  of  the  time. 

"  Could  you  do  the  flowers  for  me  this  morning  ? " 
Mrs.  Apricot  asked  her  guest  one  breakfast  time. 

"  With  pleasure,"  Miss  Floymer  answered. 

"  *  Morning  Glory '  has  brought  in  whole  traysful,  but 
I  have  no  time|this  morning." 

F 


66      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

So  while  the  Women's  Hospital  was  receiving  Mrs. 
Apricot's  attention  and  the  weekly  stores  and  accounts 
were  being  attended  to,  Miss  Floymer  was  busy  making 
the  house  beautiful  and  sweet  with  fresh  flowers. 

Ronald,  escaping  from  the  nursery  while  Amah  put 
Fergus  to  sleep,  came  "  to  see  the  velly  pletty  fowers." 

"  Musser  puts  the  red  ones  in  them  glasses,  Mum's 
does,"  he  informed  her  critically. 

"  I  think  these  white  flowers  would  look  well  in  that 
tall  glass,  don't  you,  Ronny  ?  "  asked  Miss  Floymer. 

"  Yes,"  doubtfully  ;  "  but  the  most  beautifuller  ones 
goes  on  Daddy's  desk  and  some  like  them  goes  on  Mum's 
desk,  too,  they  does,  all  same  fashion." 

*'  Oh !  Ronnie,  you  Chinese  child,"  laughed  Miss 
Floymer. 

"  Ah  !  those  isn't  deaded  ones,  you  frow  away  some 
what  isn't  deaded,  Miss  Floymers,"  continued  Ronald, 
"Those  is  breaving  (breathing),  them  is,  and  it  hurts 
dreflly  to  be  throwed  away  when  you  isn't  deaded,"  and 
the  child  picked  up  the  hardly  faded  flowers  tenderly 
one  by  one. 

"  My  gee-gee  likes  fowers  to  be  in  his  stabul,  he  likes 
to  see  them  when  they  is  just  breaving,  then  when  they 
stops  breaving  he  eats  them  up,"  announced  Ronald. 

"  Amah  want  Ronnie,  come  to  by-bye,"  said  that  good 
woman,  picking  up  the  child  and  waiting  a  moment  to 
pass  a  word  or  two  with  Miss  Floymer. 

"  Your  body  nearly  well,"  said  Amah,  "  cheeks  no  use 
any  paint  now." 

"  Oh,  Amah,  I  never  use  paint,"  exclaimed  Miss 
Floymer,  righteously  indignant. 

"  No,  your  cheeks  you  come  here  all  same  like  that  lily, 
now  look  like  this  red  flower.  Lady  know  what  you  just 
want,  have  plenty  eat,  much  happy  time.  Lady  number 
one  good,  all  same  fashion  Jesus  good  ;  the  Doctor  good, 
all  same  fashion  too," 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"      67 

"  Do  you  love  Jesus,  Amah  ?  "  Miss  Floymer  asked, 
looking  at  her  strong,  happy  face. 

"  Many  years  love  Jesus,  many  years  Amah  serve 
Jesus,  copy  Lady  and  the  Doctor,  and  tell  other  people 
that  Jesus  love  them  much  and  comfort  their  hearts," 
replied  the  woman." 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  are  happy  living  here.  Amah," 
said  Miss  Floymer,  as  she  began  the  last  jar  of  flowers. 

*' Jesus  live  everywhere,  no  place  Missee  go  work,  no 
find  Jesus'  love  comfort  her  heart.  Now,  Missee,  go  lie 
down  and  Amah  bring  Ronald  go  by-bye  and  then  bring 
Missee  some  food." 

When  Mrs.  Apricot  looked  in  once  during  the  morning 
she  found  her  guest  fast  asleep. 

Later  in  the  day  when  they  returned  from  their  ride 
Miss  Floymer  told  them  she  was  going  home  the  next 
morning  as  she  felt  quite  well.  She  also  told  them  of 
Amah's  comforting  message  to  her  "  she  could  go  to  no 
place  to  work  where  Jesus  did  not  live,  and  where  His 
love  could  not  comfort  her  heart." 

*'  Amah  is  a  very  happy  Christian,  she  told  me  your 
white,  sad  face  made  her  pray  for  you  every  day  to 
quickly  get  well  and  rejoice  in  Jesus." 

**  Does  it  not  teach  us  how  much  the  natives  take 
knowledge  of  us,  even  when  we  don't  speak,"  said  the 
Doctor.  "  I  am  always  trying  to  impress  it  upon  you  young 
missionaries  that  you  can  work  for  God  far  more  truly 
when  you  keep  your  bodies  in  health  and  3'our  spirits 
bright." 

"  I  can  never  tell  you  how  much  I  have  enjoyed  my 
visit  to  you  both,"  said  Miss  Floymer,  as  she  said  good- 
bye the  following  morning. 

"It  is  sweet  of  you  to  say  so,  for  we  have  really  done 
very  little  for  you,  we  are  always  so  busy,"  said  Mrs. 
Apricot,  kissing  her.  **  Come  and  see  us  sometimes, 
don't  forget." 


68      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BEL  OW" 

"  Good-bye, — remember  you  have  joined  the  Cheer-up 
Society,"  said  the  doctor  as  he  helped  to  raise  her  chair 
to  the  cooHes'  shoulders. 

As  they  turned  into  their  own  room  again  the  doctor 
put  his  hand  on  his  wife's  shoulder  saying,  "  Your  medi- 
cine has  cured  her  completely — love  and  brightness  were 
really  all  she  needed,  and  you  gave  it  freely." 

"  Ah  !  Charlie,  you  and  the  babies  helped,  too,"  she 
replied,  "  but  it  was  worth  while,  she  was  so  very  happy 
while  she  was  here  !  " 

Many  such  "cheer-ups"  were  given  by  the  doctor  and 
his  wife  during  the  years  as  they  sped  by,  and  many  a 
useful  life  was  kept  out  in  the  field  for  active  service  by  a 
brief  but  bright  and  happy  visit  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot 
just  at  the  right  moment. 


CHAPTER    VIII 


BUT  BY  FAITHFUL  PRAYER  TO  GOD  ABOVE  AND  BY 
THE  CEASELESS  WORK  OF  MAN  BELOW,  THE  CLOUDS 
PASS,  ALBEIT  HOMES  ARE  EMPTIED  AND  GRAVES  ARE 
FILLED   ERE   THE     SUN     SHINES     ONCE    MORE. 

AS  the  years  passed  the  doctor's  work  continually 
increased  in  the  large  Mission  Hospital. 
Native  attendants  were  trained,  men  for  the 
Men's  Hospital  and  women  for  the  Women's  Hospital. 
Students  had  been  received  in  the  Medical  School  for  a 
course  of  five  years'  training,  and  had  passed  out  fully 
qualified  to  be  a  blessing  to  their  fellow  men  both  bodily 
and  spiritually.  Others  had  stayed  on  to  help  in  the 
Hospital  as  house  surgeons  or  assistants  in  the  Dispensary 
and  native  work. 

These  students  were  drawn  from  the  Mission  schools 
and  colleges,  and  as  some  were  sent  to  the  doctor  who  did 
not  appear  suitable,  from  the  intellectual  point  of  view, 
to  train  for  medical  work,  he  urged  *'  that  only  the  best 
young  men  were  of  any  good  for  his  work." 

"  This  work,"  he  wrote,  "  is  not  easy  for  intelligent 
men,  and  is  altogether  beyond  stupid  ones  !  The  students 
who  come  to  be  trained  in  medicine  and  surgery  must  also 
be  earnest,  intelligent  Christians  and  able  to  teach  the 
gospel  as  well  as  live  it ;  loving  unto  all  men,  unselfish, 
patient,  honest  and  reliable.  None  of  your  ''  stickit 
ministers  "  are  any  good  for  medical  missionary  work,  so 
please  don't  send  them." 


70      DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

Dr.  Apricot  had  about  this  time  the  help  of  a 
European  colleague,  who,  however,  ultimately  went  into 
Government  employ. 

The  well-earned  furlough  of  the  doctor  and  his  wife 
was  passed  in  the  homeland,  and  among  the  heather 
breezes  their  health  was  restored,  their  souls  revived,  and 
courage  was  renewed. 

On  returning  to  their  work  they  took  out  a  governess 
for  the  little  children  whom  it  would  otherwise  have  been 
impossible  to  have  with  them  in  a  land  where  natives 
know  no  reserve  in  their  conversation,  and  where  children 
pick  up  unconsciously  the  language  which  has  cost  their 
parents  years  of  weary  toil,  and  so  understand  more  than 
is  good  for  them. 

Years  followed  in  quick  succession,  and  Ronald  and 
little  Fergus  grew  up  to  be  merry  laughing  boys,  filling 
their  parents'  hearts  with  gladness  and  enjoying  life  as 
only  children  can.  They  won  all  hearts  wherever  they 
went ;  the  Chinese  were  delighted  to  have  them  come  in 
and  out  and  make  merry  for  them. 

Nothing  brings  the  smile  to  tired  faces  and  rests  the 
weary  brain  more  quickly  than  the  innocent  fun  and 
wholehearted  laughter  of  young  children,  and  during 
their  busy  life,  overflowing  with  care  of  others,  the 
merriment  of  the  boys  was  ever  the  speediest  rest  to  their 
devoted  father  and  mother.  Nevertheless,  the  burden  of 
souls  was  ever  pressing  on  the  hearts  of  the  doctor  and 
his  wife  as  they  walked  amid  the  sick  and  suffering 
beneath  their  care. 

Great  help  was  rendered  by  their  trained  medical 
assistants  and  the  female  nurses,  especially  Do-ra,  who  was 
nurse,  Biblewoman,  and  friend  to  Mrs.  Apricot,  and  an 
example  and  support  to  the  other  nurses  in  their  frequent 
trying  situations. 

For  women  who  have  not  much  power  of  resistance,  it 
was  often  difficult  to  obey  the  rules  and  regulations  of 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  MEAVEN-BELOW »      71 

hospital  wards,  and  not  wink  at  the  disregard  of  the  same 
when  pressed  by  the  patients  to  do  so.  Their  good 
temper  and  strength  of  character  were  often  greatly 
taxed. 

Mrs.  Apricot  on  her  part  found  things  no  less  trying 
when  irregularities  of  this  kind  took  place.  If  a  nurse 
was  reproved  before  the  patients  for  some  fault  which  may 
have  proved  very  injurious  to  the  recovery  of  the  patient, 
she  would  at  once  take  umbrage  that  *'  her  face  had  been 
shamed." 

For  Chinese  servants,  in  whatever  capacity  they  serve, 
would  rather  at  any  time  lose  a  situation  which  from 
every  point  of  view  it  was  to  their  benefit  to  retain,  than 
retain  it  after  they  had  "  lost  face  "  before  a  third  party. 

The  number  of  in-patients  in  the  men's  wards  of  this 
large  Hospital  kept  increasing  year  by  year.  From  400 
in  one  year  it  became  500  the  next  year  and  600  the  year 
after.  This  shows  what  the  work  was  in  one  department 
only  of  this  beneficent  mill. 

In  the  women's  wards  as  many  as  one  hundred  patients 
were  nursed  through  illness  or  operation  in  one  year. 

The  out-patients  had  continued  to  increase  in  like  pro- 
portion. One  year  10,000  new  patients  were  ministered 
to,  not  counting  old  patients  who  came  over  and  over 
again,  now  that  they  knew  and  loved  the  friends  who  had 
been  so  good  to  them  in  previous  illnesses. 

Another  year  13,000  new  patients  were  registered  on 
the  books,  again  not  counting  the  thousands  who  paid 
numerous  visits  as  old  patients  with  new  diseases. 

The  difficulty  of  the  doctor  and  his  wife  was  not  to  get 
Ilea/  to  the  Chinese ;  they  could  never  get  away  from 
them,  except  they  went  for  a  holiday  completely  out  of 
their  own  district ;  for  the  hospital  was  the  centre  to 
which  the  Chinese  gravitated  perpetually. 

They  still  had  to  be  careful  of  letting  their  medicines 
go  too  cheaply,  even  to  the  poor  ;  for  what  the  Chinese 


72      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

get  too  easily  they  regard  as  inferior  and  value  as  lightly, 
thinking  what  is  given  freely  has  cost  little  to  those  who 
give  it.  So  those  who  were  able  to  pay  were  charged  for 
their  attendance  and  medicine,  and  they  valued  it  the 
more  in  consequence. 

Through  the  kindness  of  many  friends,  a  very  large 
number  of  the  very  poor  were,  however,  treated  abso- 
lutely free  of  all  expense.  This  again  tempted  others  to 
plead  poverty  who  could  really  afford  to  pay  the  very 
small  fee  of  f  d.  which  was  charged  to  the  ordinary  poor, 
but  of  course  the  fee  for  medical  help  varied  with  the 
social  position  of  the  sufferer. 

As  an  instance  of  the  above,  an  old  man  begged  very 
hard  to  be  excused  paying  the  three  farthings,  as  he  was 
in  great  poverty. 

**  Are  you  really  so  very  poor  ?  "  asked  the  kind-hearted 
doctor,  looking  at  the  dirty  ragged  patient  before  him. 

"  Indeed,  truly,  doctor,  this  old  one  is  exceedingly 
poor,"  replied  the  patient,  '*  have  compassion  upon  me 
and  excuse  the  fee,  for  I  am  sick  and  old." 

"Very  well,"  replied  the  all-too-compassionate  doctor; 
now  let  me  see  what  is  the  matter  with  you." 

After  the  case  was  diagnosed,  on  account  of  his  poverty 
and  disease,  he  was  entered  as  an  in-patient  and  forwarded 
to  the  Men's  Hospital. 

The  following  day  the  sum  of  four  dollars  (equal  to 
eight  shillings)  was  found  under  the  man's  pillow. 

"  Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  take;'  is  the  Chinese 
way  of  proceeding,  but  it  is  not  good  for  the  funds  of  a 
medical  hospital  which  has  to  pay  its  own  way  to  some 
considerable  extent. 

Another  set  of  eight  students  were  now  under  training  ; 
medical  books  were  being  translated  into  Chinese  ;  men 
were  being  trained  as  ward  helpers ;  opium  smokers  were 
cured ;  lepers  cleansed  (partially  at  any  rate)  ;  children 
rescued ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  scores  of  women  who  were 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      73 

attended  in  the  Women's  Hospital  and  men  in  the  Men's 
Hospital ;  and  to  one  and  all  the  Gospel  of  the  Grace  of 
God  was  lovingly  preached.  The  heathen  all  heard, 
many  believed,  and  asked  for  baptism,  believers  were 
strengthened  in  their  faith,  while  their  bodies  were  under 
healing  treatment,  and  God  was  honoured  in  their  midst. 

The  good  news  of  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Fairfield  to  share 
their  labours  came  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot  when  their 
hearts  were  bowed  down  with  a  more  intimate  sorrow  of 
their  own. 

The  time  had  arrived  when  they  felt  it  wise  to  send 
their  children  home  to  share  the  education  of  other  boys 
of  their  own  age  and  ability. 

What  this  trial  was  in  anticipation  was  as  nothing  to 
the  pain  of  separation  when  the  time  actually  arrived. 
God,  Who  knows  all  things,  and  parents  who  have  under- 
gone a  like  trial,  can  alone  fully  gauge  the  bitterness  of 
the  cup  they  drank  in  the  hour  they  said  ''  good-bye." 

As  the  little  tender  stood  below  at  the  side  of  the  big 
P.  &  O.  ship,  which  was  to  carry  the  laddies  and  their 
governess  to  the  home-land,  the  parents  had  all  they  could 
do  to  endure  the  pain,  which  well-nigh  broke  their  hearts. 
The  cheery  doctor  fought  hard  for  the  boys'  sakes  as  well 
as  his  wife's,  and  his  last  words  as  the  tug  parted  from  the 
steamer  were  as  characteristic  of  their  father  as  could  be 
imagined. 

"  Good-bye,  Ronald,  cheer  up.  God  bless  you  both, 
don't  forget  to  say  your  prayers  and  take  care  of  little 
Fergus." 

The  soul  anguish  of  the  next  few  hours,  when  only  God 
could  speak  comfortable  words,  passed  at  last ;  but  the 
children's  happy  chatter,  their  merry  shouts  at  play,  the 
evening  hour  ere  bedtime,  these  could  never  come  back 
again.  When  next  they  saw  their  lads  they  were  manly 
young  fellows,  holding  their  own  among  other  boys. 
Well  it  was  for  the  doctor  and  his  wife  that  things  had 


74      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

to  be  reorganised  and  rearranged  when  they  returned  to 
their  work  a  few  days  after  the  separation  from  their 
children. 

They  were  accompanied  on  their  return  by  Dr.  Fair- 
field, who  had  just  arrived  in  Shanghai,  and  who  had,  of 
course,  after  the  first  day  or  two  of  settling  down  and 
being  welcomed  was  over,  to  put  his  chief  energies  into 
learning  the  language.  He  could,  however,  for  an  hour 
or  two  a  day,  do  much  as  a  recreation  to  himself,  which 
was  at  the  same  time  an  immense  relief  and  help  to  Dr. 
Apricot. 

The  native  helpers  who  had  been  a  little  less  under 
supervision  for  a  week  or  two  while  Mrs.  Apricot  had 
made  preparations  for  their  children  going  to  England, 
now  had  to  be  brought  up  to  the  mark,  and  this  led  to  a 
reorganisation  of  much  of  the  internal  working  of  the 
hospital  and  ultimately  to  Mrs.  Apricot,  in  addition  to 
all  her  other  labours,  taking  over  the  care  and  disburse- 
ment of  all  the  stores  for  all  the  many  buildings  now  under 
their  care.  The  extra  time  and  attention  and  hard  work 
which  this  added  duty  necessarily  involved  was  heavier 
than  could  possibly  be  understood  by  any  one  who  has 
not  had  experience  of  hospital  life  in  its  many  varied 
departments. 

The  recreations  of  missionaries  has  not  come  much  into 
this  story  hitherto,  but  it  is  well  here  to  understand  the 
clear  line  which  Dr.  Apricot  took  upon  the  subject. 

"  We  have  been  sent  out  here,"  he  said  one  day  to  a 
missionary  who  was  knocked  up  with  overwork  and  lack  of 
fresh  air  recreations,  "to  live  and  work.  Now  your 
Missionary  work  will  be  far  more  effective  if  you  keep 
your  body  in  good  health  and  your  spirit  cheerful." 

"  But,  doctor,  there  is  so  much  to  be  done,"  replied  the 
overwrought  worker. 

"  Quite  true,  my  friend,  and  we  want  you  to  help  to  do 
it,"  he  replied,  *'  but  you  will  do   much  less  than  your 


DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW "      75 

share  of  it,  if  you  do  not  take  more  exercise  and  more 
rest." 

Writing  home  that  year  to  the  Society  which  had  sent 
him  out,  he  said,  "  In  my  opinion  the  inside  of  a 
Missionary  is  all  the  better  for  the  outside  of  a  horse!  " 

There  was  no  place  inside  the  city  walls  where  fresh  air 
and  pure  breezes  could  be  had  to  refresh  the  tired  minds 
and  bodies  of  strenuous  workers,  and  therefore  the  doctor 
encouraged  them  to  find  their  recreation  outside. 

For  many  years  he  kept  a  number  of  Chinese  ponies 
for  use  in  his  work,  which  lay  six  or  eight  miles  in  one 
direction,  and  seven  to  nine  in  another,  and  in  addition 
he  also  kept  ponies  for  the  Missionaries  who  used  to  ride 
over  with  him  w^hen  he  went  to  visit  professionally  the 
Lake-side  lepers,  or  convalescents  in  one  direction,  or  the 
Consulate  down  near  the  landing  in  the  other. 

On  one  occasion  cholera  visited  the  city  of  "  Heaven- 
Below,"  and  raged  north,  south,  east,  and  west. 
Thousands  were  stricken,  and  the  European  doctors  and 
assistants  had  their  hands  full,  with  •  hardly  a  free 
moment  to  themselves. 

The  doctor,  in  writing  home  to  his  friends  at  this  time, 
said  :  "  I  should  like  to  impress  you  with  the  vast  amount  of 
work  always  going  on,  and  the  insanitary  state  of  this  city, 
which  compels  me  to  state  it  is  not  a  fashionable  health 
resort  or  a  much  frequented  watering  place,  yet  lack  of 
people  there  is  none." 

One  fatal  case  was  that  of  one  of  Dr.  Apricot's  own 
servants.  One  day  the  doctor  had  to  go  seven  miles 
into  the  country  to  see  a  patient,  taking  with  him  his 
horse-boy,  both  of  them  mounted.  After  four  miles  of  the 
journey  had  been  passed  the  coolie  called  out  to  him  that 
he  was  in  such  pain  he  could  go  no  further. 

Dr.  Apricot  took  him  to  a  house  close  by  and  arranged 
he  should  be  sent  back  at  once  to  the  hospital  in  a  sedan 
chair.      When  the  doctor  arrived  home  a  few  hours  later 


76      DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "  HE AVEN-BELOW  " 

he  was  shocked  to  hear  the  poor  fellow  was  dead.  All  the 
efforts  put  forth  to  save  him  had  been  unavailing. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot  were  uable  to  take  any  holiday 
that  year.  The  work  was  incessant,  people  were  dying 
on  every  side  ;  the  days  were  hot,  but  the  nights  were 
hotter,  and  weary  though  they  were,  they  could  not 
sleep. 

Most  mercifully  the  foreigners  were  all  saved  from  this 
scourge  as  it  swept  by.  But  coffin  makers  made  their 
fortunes,  and  many  were  able  to  retire  from  business  when 
the  epidemic  was  over. 

After  a  few  months  another  alarm  upset  for  a  while  the 
ordinary  routine  of  the  hospital. 

Scarlet  fever,  hitherto  unknown  in  **  Heaven-Below," 
broke  out  in  one  of  the  women's  wards.  It  was  supposed 
to  have  come  in  some  way  from  the  port  of  Shanghai, 
where  it  had  been  very  prevalent  the  preceding  year. 

A  young  Christian  woman,  *'  Increase-faith,"  had  been 
received  as  an  out-patient  with  her  baby.  The  baby 
was  suffering  with  fever  and  swollen  glands,  for  which  it 
was  treated;  two  days  later  sign  of  peeling  was  to  be 
seen,  when  on  examination  the  doctor  pronounced  it  to 
be  scarlet  fever,  and  the  case  was  isolated  at  once. 

By  this  time  the  infection  had  been  carried  into  other 
wards  by  the  mother,  who  when  her  child  had  slept  had 
gone  to  chat  with  the  other  women.  In  one  ward  two 
patients  took  it  badly.  In  another  a  slave  girl  who  had 
been  in  hospital  some  months  with  diseased  bone  in  the 
foot,  and  who  had  been  operated  on  some  little  time 
before,  took  it  rather  badly  also. 

Another  case  was  a  little  girl  called  "  Sweet  Plum  " ; 
she  was  the  daughter  of  nice  people  who  had  friends 
among  the  hospital  staff.  She  had  only  been  a  few  days 
under  treatment  for  some  trouble  in  her  foot,  but  got 
infection  and  had  scarlet  fever  very  badly. 

Three  other  women  had  the  symptoms  well  developed, 


DOCTOR  APRrCOT  OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW "      77 

and  so  the  only  thing  was  to  utilise  the  old  empty  Opium 
Refuge  as  a  fever  hospital. 

This  entailed  another  cook  being  obtained  and  an  extra 
washerwoman,  while  Mrs.  Apricot  did  much  of  the  nurs- 
ing herself,  with  the  help  of  one  assistant. 

The  constant  disinfecting  had  to  be  done  entirely  by 
herself,  as  the  natives  do  not  see  the  necessity  of  attention 
to  detail  in  this  department,  on  which  it  depends  whether 
disinfecting  is  efficacious  or  altogether  a  failure. 

Some  cases  died,  some  gave  much  concern  during 
tedious  convalescence ;  ultimately  the  last  case  recovered 
and  a  last  fumigating  and  disinfecting  having  been 
accomplished,  life  returned  once  more  to  its  normal 
round. 

During  this  autumn  many  turned  to  the  Lord  and  were 
baptised,  after  due  preparation,  as  a  direct  result  of  teach- 
ing they  had  received  during  their  stay  in  hospital.  This 
was  a  cause  of  rejoicing  before  God. 


CHAPTER     IX 

GIVES  SOME  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  CHINESE  IDEAS  UPON 
THE  VALUE  OF  HUxMAN  EXISTENCE,  AND  OF  THE 
PECULIAR  CHARACTERISTIC  WHICH  SHEWS  ITSELF 
IN    THE    LOSING    OF   ONE's    LIFE    IN    ORDER   TO    SAVE 

one's  face. 

THE  cheapness  with  which  the  average  Chinaman 
holds  human  life  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  one 
year  over  eighty  suicides  were  treated  at  the 
Hospital  of  Universal  Benevolence. 

Some  years  later  the  figures  ran  to  nearly  two  hundred, 
and  later  again  in  one  year  two  hundred  and  twenty-two 
cases  were  brought  under  hospital  notice  and  treated  by 
the  doctors.  The  ages  of  this  large  number  varied 
greatly — from  children  of  ten  years  of  age  up  to  old 
people  between  sixty  and  seventy. 

The  why  and  wherefore  of  the  attempted  suicide  can 
usually  be  ascertained.  After  much  sifting  of  information 
it  was  discovered  that  two  hundred  and  eighteen  were  the 
result  of  quarrels.  Four  only  of  the  number  were  un- 
accounted for  by  their  relatives. 

A  woman  who  is  badly  scolded  by  her  husband  will 
take  it  meekly  enough  if  no  one  has  heard  the  scolding 
but  herself ;  but  if  there  have  been  witnesses  to  the 
quarrel,  the  humiliation  is  more  than  she  can  bear ;  she 
has  "  lost  face,"  and  therefore  she  will  contrive  to  obtain 
opium  or  some  other  poison  wherewith  to  end  her  life;  or, 
failing  money  to   buy  poison,  she  prefers  to  end  herself 

78 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      79 

by  drowning  in    the  family  well  rather  than  live  down 
her  discomfiture. 

A  young  woman,  who  was  brought  on  one  occasion  to 
the  hospital  from  a  country  place  some  distance  away, 
was  rather  a  curious  case  because  of  two  unusual  features. 
The  first  was  the  unusual  agreement  which  was  made 
between  her  future  husband  and  the  girl's  own  family 
before  her  marriage,  which  agreement  was  duly  written 
out  and  signed  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  and  by  which 
the  bridegroom  promised  after  marriage  to  live  at  the 
girl's  home  with  her,  and  not  take  her  to  his  father's 
house,  as  is  usually  the  case. 

After  marriage,  when  all  had  gone  on  happily  for  some 
time,  the  bridegroom  suddenly  carried  off  the  bride  con- 
trary to  agreement  to  his  father's  house. 

Being  thus  disappointed,  she  resolved  to  take  her  own 
life  rather  than  submit  to  be  tricked  into  what  she  had 
determined  not  to  endure. 

The  second  unusual  thing  about  this  case  was  the  girl's 
method  of  destroying  herself. 

Being  unable  to  get  opium,  and  being  watched  in 
order  to  frustrate  her  running  away  to  her  old  home,  and 
so  having  no  opportunity  to  drown  herself,  she  told  the 
household  she  had  swallowed  a  silver  chain  three  feet  in 
length.  They  at  once  gave  her  medicine  to  dissolve 
the  silver  chain,  but  she  still  said  she  felt  uncom- 
fortable, and,  finding  the  native  doctors  could  not 
relieve  her,  they  grew  alarmed  and  brought  her  to  the 
hospital. 

"Love-honour"  (this  was  the  girl's  name),  when  her 
friends  left  her  in  charge  of  Mrs.  Apricot,  was  quickly 
given  "  the  order  of  the  bath  "  and  warded.  Then  began 
suitable  treatment,  which  went  on  for  two  months,  but  as 
nothing  more  was  seen  or  heard  of  the  chain,  the  doctors 
came  to  the  most  probable  explanation,  viz.,  that  the  girl 
had  concocted  the  story  as  a  means  of  escape  from  the 


8o      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

home  she  was  determined  not  to  live  in,  and  had  never 
swallowed  the  chain  after  all. 

During  the  months  in  hospital,  however,  she  was  not 
free  of  her  relatives'  surveillance,  for  not  only  was  her 
mother  staying  in  hospital  with  her,  but  her  husband's 
people  also  kept  vigilant  watch. 

Poor  "  Love-honour  "  !  It  did  not  seem  improbable 
that  all  her  trouble  would  prove  to  be  in  vain. 

Whether  the  idea  originated  with  the  girl  herself  or 
with  her  mother  is  not  known,  but  towards  the  end  of 
*'  Love-honour's  "  stay  in  hospital  the  mother  appealed  to 
the  Chief  Magistrate  to  settle  the  case  for  her.  He 
decided  in  "  Love-honour's "  favour,  and  the  matter 
came  to  an  end,  so  far  as  was  known  for  some  time. 

During  her  retention  in  the  wards,  the  mother  and 
daughter  had  both  had  much  opportunity  of  hearing 
about  God,  and  when  they  returned  home,  they  were 
passed  on  to  the  visiting  list  of  one  of  the  Biblewomen. 

Another  case  will  now  be  described.  One  hot  summer 
night,  when  not  a  breath  of  air  stirred  and  sleep  was 
difficult  to  obtain,  and  when  secured  was  light  and  un- 
refreshing,  a  terrific  noise  awakened  all  in  the  hospital 
compound. 

It  came  from  a  big  house  shut  in  with  a  high  wall,  just 
opposite  the  entrance  to  the  hospital.  The  noise  was  of 
women  shouting  and  yelling  at  the  top  of  their  voices, 
and  above  it  all,  a  man's  voice  weeping  and  waiHng,  as 
only  Eastern  people  do. 

The  Amah,  or  nurse  of  the  household,  had  poisoned 
herself  with  opium,  because  her  mistress  had  found  fault 
with  her  for  letting  one  of  her  charges  fall  down. 

The  Amah  could  not  bear  the  reproof,  probably  given 
before  others,  and,  to  spite  her  mistress,  had  taken 
poison,  so  as  to  bring  trouble  on  the  family.  The  woman 
was  brought  over  to  the  hospital,  but  it  was  too  late  to 
save  her  life. 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  '^"HEAVEN-BELOW"       Si 

Thus  we  see  that  revenge  is  considered  more  important 
than  either  life  or  death. 

The  next  day  the  mistress  had  a  large  hole  made  in  the 
wall  of  the  garden  to  take  the  coffin  in  for  the  body  to  be 
put  into.  When  the  coffin  had  been  brought  out  again 
through  the  hole  the  latter  was  built  up.  All  this  trouble 
was  taken  to  prevent  the  coffin  going  through  the  gate  of 
the  garden,  and  being  seen  by  the  Evil  Spirit  leaving  the 
entrance  of  the  house  ;  thereby  it  was  supposed  he  would 
not  know  the  way  into  the  house  where  the  poor  suicide 
had  taken  her  life.  In  this  way  the  mistress  thought  to 
prevent  all  evil  consequences  being  visited  upon  herself. 

Another  instance  occurred  which  illustrates  how  cheaply 
life  is  held  from  another  point  of  view.  Some  men  were 
working  on  the  boats  of  one  of  the  rivers  and  one  fell  into 
the  water  ;  as  he  could  not  swim  he  was  drowned. 

"  Could  not  any  of  you  swim  ?  "  asked  the  missionary 
to  whom  the  incident  was  related. 

"Oh,  yes,  we  could  ail  swim,"  calmly  replied  the 
narrator. 

*'  Why,  then,  did  you  not  try  to  save  your  companion  ?  " 
asked  the  missionary  once  more. 

"  Teacher,  I  did  not  wish  to  be  drowned,  and  if  I  or 
the  other  men  had  rescued  '  Tu'die  '  we  should  have  been 
pursued  by  the  Water-Spirit  until  our  lives  had  been 
taken  in  forfeit  for  the  one  which  had  been  rescued  from 
him." 

Our  readers  will  remember  the  brave  old  Chinese 
admiral  who  lost  his  ship  during  the  war  with  Japan,  and 
could  not  face  the  humiliation,  so  destroyed  himself  rather 
than  lose  face  with  his  country. 

Another  instance  was  that  of  a  man  who  was  accused 
falsely  of  theft,  and  though  the  case  could  not  be  proved, 
the  man  felt  he  had  'Most  face,"  and  did  not,  therefore, 
care  to  live,  so  he  took  poison,  and  was  found  dead  in  his 
room. 

G 


82       DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  '^HEAVEN-BELOW" 

Two  hours  later  the  missing  things  were  found  in  some 
out-of-the-way  place,  having  been  put  there  by  mistake 
by  a  member  of  the  household. 

Strange  to  say,  though  the  man  held  his  life  cheap,  his 
family,  under  these  circumstances,  did  not  do  so,  and 
pressed  and  obtained  compensation  to  no  inconsiderable 
amount. 

Another  case  is  that  of  "  Early  Virtue,"  a  little  boy 
of  six  years  of  age,  who  was  found  one  mid-winter  day 
in  the  streets  of  "  Heaven-Below  "  by  one  of  the  hospital 
assistants  with  his  toes  quite  frozen  off. 

The  Chinese  father  was  a  wretched  man  who  had  lost 
all  parental  feeling  and  sense  of  responsibility  towards 
his  child  through  the  smoking  of  opium.  While  he 
went  off  to  the  opium  den  to  smoke  himself  into  false 
dreams  of  bliss  and  temporary  comfort,  he  had  left  his 
little  boy  to  beg  in  the  streets  from  passers-by. 

During  the  father's  absence  the  child  had  been  found 
and  put  into  a  bed  in  one  of  the  wards  of  the  Hospital  of 
Universal  Benevolence,  so  that  when  on  his  return  the 
father  inquired  for  the  child  and  found  out  where  he  was 
he  made  no  objection  to  his  remaining  in  such  comfort- 
able quarters. 

From  the  fact  that  he  seldom  came  to  see  him,  and 
ultimately  ceased  to  do  so,  one  believes  that  he  felt  greatly 
reHeved  to  be  quit  of  the  even  nominal  responsibility  he 
had  previously  shown. 

While  in  the  ward  "Early  Virtue"  quickly  learnt 
Gospel  stories,  texts,  and  hymns,  some  of  which  he  was 
able  to  sing  very  nicely. 

After  some  months  he  was  more  or  less  adopted  by  a 
lady  missionary  who  had  shown  much  interest  in  him, 
and  when  he  was  able  to  leave  the  hospital,  she  arranged 
that  he  could  live  with  one  of  the  catechists  and  thus 
have  a  happy  home  life.  When  last  he  was  seen  he  was 
a   merry   child  running  about    at   play   and   going  to  a 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"      83 

day  school,  where  he  showed  some  promise  for  the 
future. 

Another  case  of  singular  interest  is  that  of  Mrs.  We, 
who  was  far  in  advance  of  her  time  in  ambitious  desires 
for  the  welfare  of  her  own  countrywomen.  She  was  a 
Tartar  lady  living  in  the  Tartar  Settlement,  but  she 
was  broad-minded,  and  had  visited  the  Hospital  of 
Universal  Benevolence  and  some  of  the  mission  schools 
in  the  city  of  "  Heaven-Below." 

She  thought  much  of  what  she  had  seen,  and  felt  so 
strongly  that  something  ought  to  be  done  to  raise  the 
condition  of  her  own  countrywomen  educationally  and 
socially,  that  she  collected  from  the  officials  money  to 
open  a  school  for  girls. 

After  some  months  she  tried  to  collect  money  again  for 
the  school  for  the  second  year,  but  failed.  This  grieved 
her  to  such  an  extent  that  she  wrote  a  letter  explaining 
that  she  felt  so  strongly  the  urgent  need  of  her  country- 
women that  she  was  prepared  to  die  to  prove  her 
sincerity.  She  then  took  a  large  dose  of  opium,  but  was 
discovered  and  taken  to  the  hospital,  where  doctors  and 
nurses  worked  hard  to  save  her  life. 

After  many  hours  she  was  out  of  danger  and  able  to 
return  to  her  own  home. 

She  utilised  her  recovery  to  make  another  appeal  to 
the  officials,  and  failed  once  more.  Her  disappomtment 
and  defeat  in  the  object  of  her  ambition  was  so  great  she 
again  took  opium,  and  this  time  she  died. 

Her  object,  however,  was  gained  ;  so  impressed  were 
her  people  by  her  death  that  they  set  about  obtaining  a 
school  for  Tartar  girls  without  delay. 

A  new  school  house  was  built,  teachers  secured,  and  it 
is  now  one  of  the  best  administered  schools  in  the  city  of 
**  Heaven-Below." 

The  pupils  are  taught  to  march  past  a  large  picture  of 
Mrs.    We    and    make    obeisance    as    they    pass,    as    a 


84      DOCTOR  'APRfCOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

sign  of  their   gratitude  to  her  for   her   efforts   on   their 
behalf. 

As  Christianity  spreads  through  the  country  right  views 
with  regard  to  life  and  death  will  become  more  widely 
known  and  appreciated,  and  such  cases,  instead  of  being 
common  incidents  in  every-day  life,  will  become  things  of 
the  past. 


CHAPTER  X 

SHEWS  HOW  LOVE  AND  GENTLENESS  SWEEP  AWAY  DARK- 
NESS AND  SUPERSTITION  ;  AND  HOW  YOUNG  LIVES, 
BEGUN  IN  ADVERSITY  AND  SORROW,  BLOSSOM  INTO 
HAPPINESS  AND  BEAUTY  WHEN  TAKEN  INTO  THE 
HOME. 

CHINESE  life  is  often  spoken  of  as  one  of  dignity 
because  so  little  fun  and  merriment  enters  the 
ordinary  conversation  of  the  average  Chinaman. 

Life  with  the  working  classes  is  a  constant  struggle  to 
make  ends  meet ;  with  the  literati,  life  is  too  serious  for 
fun,  a  reading  man  must  be  dignified ;  so  the  lighter 
moments  enjoyed  by  the  average  European  find  little 
place  in  the  lives  of  the  Chinese. 

But  that  they  see  jokes  and  can  enjoy  them  if  someone 
else  troubles  to  make  them  is  often  noticed  by  those 
working  amongst  them. 

There  was  a  little  boy  belonging  to  an  attendant  in  one 
of  the  Lake-side  homes  who  did  not  seem  as  if  he  could 
laugh  as  merry-hearted  English  children  laugh  at  the  age 
of  four  or  five  years,  so  whenever  Dr.  Apricot  went  up  to 
see  the  Lake-side  patients  he  would  call  the  solemn  little 
man  to  come  forth  and  greet  him  ;  and  would  then  teach 
him  some  funny  saying,  or  throw  him  up  in  his  arms  as 
one  would  a  European  child.  One  winter  day  something 
made  the  doctor  think  how  like  a  little  bantam  this  child 
was  (his  fat  little  person  being  stuffed  out  with  winter 

8§ 


86      DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

wadded  coats),  and  so  he  commenced  to  teach  him  to 
crow  !  Bending  slightly  forward,  then  gradually  straight- 
ening himself  and  arching  backward,  he  said  in  English, 
"  Cock-a-doodledoooooooooooo  !  " 

"  Tot-a-doodil-dooooooo  !  "  imitated  the  solemn  child 
and  then  broke  out  into  the  prettiest  laugh  a  Chinese 
child  ever  gave.  So  after  this,  when  the  doctor  took  his 
wife  or  some  of  the  lady  Missionaries  or  visitors,  who 
came  from  time  to  time,  up  to  the  Sanatorium,  all  had 
to  go  and  see  the  "  Tot-a-doodil-doo  "  boy. 

The  writer  saw  this  funny  performance  one  fine  winter 
day  and  laughed  heartily  to  see  the  solemn  little  man  do 
it  all  so  gravely,  and  then  break  into  the  sudden  merry 
laugh  at  the  close. 

Love  for  children  begets  love  in  return  and  the  Cock- 
a-doodle-doo  child  has  grown  up  a  remarkably  useful 
lad  since  those  days. 

He  has  passed  through  day  and  boarding  schools,  has 
been  baptised  and  confirmed,  and  has  still  a  great  love  for 
the  merry  doctor  who  tried  to  play  with  him  as  a  little 
boy,  so  when  his  future  life  work  had  to  be  decided,  who 
can  wonder  that  he  elected  to  take  up  a  branch  of 
hospital  work?  He  is  now  an  assistant  in  the  chemist's 
department  of  the  Dispensary. 

Those  who  love  children  are  the  best  suited  to  adopt 
them  and  bring  them  up,  and  we  are  not  surprised  that 
those  whose  hands  were  already  filled  with  work  for  adults 
soon  found  that  children,  here  one  and  there  another, 
claimed  their  notice  who  had  either  to  be  rescued  to  love, 
truth  and  happiness,  or  left  to  poverty,  sin  and  shame. 

When  homes  for  leper  men  and  women  were  founded, 
it  was  a  difficult  problem  what  to  do  with  their  untainted 
children. 

To  save  them  for  some  years  at  least  from  the  blighted 
lives  of  their  parents  seemed  to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot  the 
only  thing  they  could  do, 


^ 


'Cock-a-doodle-doo,"   now  Assistant-Dispenser, 


Ti)  Jiict  p.  SO. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  ^^HEAVEN-BELOW"       87 

So  Mrs.  Apricot  opened  a  Home  for  Untainted 
Children. 

One  by  one  six  little  ones  were  gathered  there ;  and 
later  six  others,  for  one  cause  or  another  left  destitute  of 
guardian  care,  were  added  to  them. 

Once  these  little  ones  were  gathered  into  the  Home  with 
its  sheltering  care  and  the  Christian  influence  of  matron 
and  nurse,  new  vistas  of  life  opened  before  them  ;  vistas 
of  love  and  light  and  usefulness. 

One  boy  called  "  Nathaniel  "  was  the  son  of  a  very  poor 
couple,  whose  mother  became  insane.  The  father  was 
too  poor  to  be  able  to  bring  the  child  up  properly,  so  he 
was  adopted  by  Mrs.  Apricot.  He  soon  became  a 
delightful  child,  always  happy  and  contented,  and  anxious 
to  help  anyone  and  every  one  who  needed  help. 

In  time  he  went  to  the  day  school  which  was  opened 
for  the  Home  Children. 

After  passing  through  that  with  some  credit,  he  was 
sent  on  to  the  Boys'  Boarding  School.  But  he  always 
looked  on  the  Home  as  his  home,  and  spent  his  holidays 
there,  being  quite  happy  if  he  only  might  do  something 
for  the  Lady  Mother  who  was  always  so  good  to  him, 

"  Can  I  do  anything  for  the  Lady  Mother  ?  "  he  always 
asked,  as  soon  as  the  half-holiday  came  and  he  was  free 
to  run  over  to  the  Home  or  Hospital.  Then  his  joy  was 
full  if  he  heard  Mrs.  Apricot's  voice  saying: 

"  I  want  Nathaniel  to  typewrite  for  me  this  afternoon." 

Or,  if  new  boards  were  wanted  for  the  heads  of  cots, 
and  Nathaniel  was  asked  to  print  them  for  the  Lady 
Mother,  his  delight  knew  no  bounds.  We  shall  hope  in 
future  years  to  hear  that  he  is  still  in  the  work  of  the 
Medical  Mission. 

The  brief  story  of  another  child — little  Moses — is  very 
touching. 

Found  on  the  road-side  near  the  Mission  Compound 
late  one  night,  where  he  had  been  deserted  by  his  parents, 


88      DOCTOR  APMCOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

he  was  taken  in  for  the  night  and  passed  on  to  the  ever- 
tender  mercies  of  the  Medical  Mission  party  the  following 
day. 

Moses  was  truly  named,  for  he  was  only  a  baby,  and 
"  drawn  out "  of  the  dirt  and  filth  of  a  Chinese  street,  in 
which  he  would  certainly  have  died  had  he  been  left  there 
long. 

He  was  an  object  of  great  interest  to  the  women  in  the 
hospital  who  heard  all  about  him  and  to  the  other 
Missionaries  of  "Heaven-Below,"  who  were  always  eager 
to  know  some  of  the  interesting  things  which  were 
the  daily  portion  of  those  in  hospital  work. 

The  Missionaries  and  hospital  women  vied  with  one 
another  in  making  Baby  Moses'  pretty  little  baby 
coats  and  trousers,  after  the  orthodox  Chinese  baby 
fashion. 

His  little  smile  and  tiny  gestures  were  very  fascin- 
ating ;  hardly  less  so  were  his  infant  efforts  to  talk  the 
little  words  every  one  tried  to  teach  him. 

But  when  he  was  most  lovable  and  interesting  he 
sickened  of  some  inherited  disease,  and  during  many 
days  and  hours  willing  nurses  watched  beside  his  cot, 
hoping  to  save  the  little  life  ;  but  it  was  not  to  be,  and 
one  day  he  passed  over  to  the  Children's  Home  in 
Paradise  the  Blest,  and  left  behind  him  a  vacant  place 
in  many  hearts. 

"  Valuable-Bravery "  was  the  daughter  of  an  old 
patient  who  was  in  the  hospital  at  one  time  as  a  mental 
case,  which  illness  had  been  brought  on  by  trouble  and 
sorrow. 

Poverty,  and  the  selling  of  her  little  girl  against  her 
wish,  had  been  such  a  sorrow  to  the  poor  woman  that  her 
mind  had  for  a  time  given  way. 

Mrs.  Apricot,  who  soon  found  out  the  secret  sorrow  of 
the  poor  woman's  life,  sent  Do-ra  the  nurse  to  find  the 
little  daughter,  which  after  much  trouble,  she  was  able 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "       89 

to  do,  and  brought  "  Valuable- Bravery  "  home  to  Mrs. 
Apricot. 

She  was  sent  to  the  Home  and  to  school,  and  became 
an  earnest  Christian  girl,  letting  her  light  shine  for  Jesus 
wherever  she  went. 

After  leaving  school  she  took  up  work  in  the  hospital, 
and  became  a  ''  right-hand  help  "  to  Mrs.  Apricot. 

She  was  trained  as  a  nurse  and  afterwards  as  a  mid- 
wife, and  later  came  to  England  to  perfect  her  training 
by  taking  her  L.O.S.  certificate.  For  ten  years  she 
worked  in  the  hospital,  and  often  Mrs.  Apricot  would  say 
to  the  doctor,  *'  Truly  that  case  was  as  bread  cast  upon 
the  waters,  and  it  has  returned  to  bless  us  after  many 
days." 

The  coming  of  "  Little  Orchid  "  was  very  different 
from  that  of  Moses.  The  mother  of  "Little  Orchid" 
was  a  baptised  Christian,  but  like  many  a  Christian  so- 
called  in  our  own  country,  she  was  not  a  very  worthy 
professor. 

One  night  she  and  her  husband  had  a  terrible  quarrel, 
which  came  to  blows,  and  so  frightened  "  Little  Orchid  " 
that  he  tried  to  undo  the  door  of  the  house  and  call  in 
the  neighbours. 

This  was,  however,  prevented,  and  the  mother  was 
killed. 

The  father  was  seized  and  taken  off  to  prison,  and  the 
little  son  was  taken,  though  only  seven  years  old,  to  wait 
upon  the  father. 

When  in  prison  the  father  remembered  that  the  son, 
tiny  as  he  was,  had  tried  to  save  the  mother,  so  in  revenge 
he  broke  the  only  thing  he  could  find,  which  happened  to 
be  a  tea-pot,  and,  with  the  broken  pieces,  stabbed  the 
child  so  badly  that  he  was  brought  in  a  state  of  high  fever 
with  blood  poisoning  to  the  Hospital  of  Universal 
Benevolence. 

Jn  the  women's  ward  this  poor  child  lay  for  two  months 


90      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

without  a  smile  passing  across  his  face,  though  Dr. 
Apricot  made  numerous  efforts  on  his  daily  round  to  raise 
one. 

At  last  the  whole  hospital  rejoiced  one  day  when  word 
was  passed  round  :  "  *  Orchid  '  has  smiled  at  last."  The 
doctor  had  succeeded  ! 

When  the  child  recovered  no  home  was  forthcoming  for 
''  Little  Orchid,"  yet  everyone  was  anxious  the  child 
should  not  be  lost,  so  he  too  was  put  into  the  Children's 
Home. 

His  father  had  been  sentenced  to  banishment,  and 
thus  was  well  out  of  the  child's  life. 

In  the  Home,  where  love  and  gentleness  reigned,  the 
child  became  quite  lively,  and  ultimately  developed  into 
a  regular  piece  of  mischief. 

He  is  now  attending  school,  and  in  the  process  of 
learning  to  read  a  Chinese  child  learns  decorum,  so 
*'  Little  Orchid  "  is  now  sobering  down  and  trying  to  be 
good.     He  is  hoping  soon  to  be  baptised. 

Our  readers  will  remember  the  story  of  "  Beseech- 
Mercy,"  the  leper  who  made  a  dying  request  to  Mrs. 
Apricot  that  she  would  care  for  the  son  of  the  leper  who 
had  so  kindly  waited  on  him  during  the  last  years  of  his 
illness. 

This  child,  a  boy  called  "  Fragrant-Lily,"  was  at  once 
taken  into  the  Home  for  Children.  He  was  an  extra- 
ordinary looking  child  with  a  wild  appearance ;  but 
bathed,  and  shaved  about  the  head  as  other  Chinese 
boys  are,  and  clothed  in  clean,  well-fitting  clothes,  he 
looked  more  presentable  and  began  to  respect  himself 
accordingly.  Before  coming  into  the  Home  he  had  run 
about  and  lived  like  a  waif  upon  the  streets. 

When  he  was  being  bathed  one  day  it  was  found  he 
was  remarkable  for  having  six  toes  on  each  foot ! 
Whether  this  will  make  him  in  any  way  notable  in  later 
Jife  remains  to  be  seen, 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      91 

**  Fragrant-Lily  "  is  of  a  kind  disposition,  and  seems 
to  be  honest  as  far  as  can  be  judged.  If  he  goes  on  well, 
Mrs.  Apricot  hopes  to  train  him  for  ward  duty  in  the 
men's  hospital  by  and  by.  This  child  has  been  supported 
by  the  Mission  to  Lepers. 

"  Olea-Fragrans  "  is  the  child  of  a  patient  who  had 
been  nursed  by  Mrs.  Apricot  in  the  hospital  for  a  long  time. 

One  day,  in  going  the  rounds,  she  noticed  this  patient 
unusually  sad,  and  sat  down  to  win  her  confidence  and, 
by  sympathetic  tact,  soon  succeeded  in  doing  so.  Her 
story  was  pathetically  sad,  being  one  of  unused  know- 
ledge and  neglected  opportunities. 

"  Lotus  Flower  "  (for  such  was  her  name)  had  been  at 
a  Mission  School,  and  had  learnt  all  about  God's  love  and 
the  salvation  of  Jesus  Christ,  but  she  had  not  laid  hold  of 
that  salvation  by  faith  and  made  it  her  own.  She  had  let 
it  slip  by  her.  She  had  her  Bible  beside  her,  but  a  Bible 
is  not  salvation.  So,  finding  her  sad  and  troubled  in  soul, 
Mrs.  Apricot  had  pointed  her  to  Jesus  Christ  as  a  present 
Saviour,  able  to  save  her  if  she  were  only  willing ;  soon 
joy  broke  into  that  troubled  soul,  and  peace  was  hers. 

**Is  your  heart  at  rest  now?  "  asked  Mrs.  Apricot. 

**  My  heart  has  peace,  lady ;  but  one  thing  troubles  me 
now,  and  that  is  about  my  children." 

Seeing  her  very  tired  and  weak,  Mrs.  Apricot  promised 
to  see  what  could  be  done  for  them. 

The  husband,  when  he  heard  his  wife  was  dying, 
insisted  on  taking  poor  '*  Lotus-flower  "  back  to  their 
miserably  dirty  hovel. 

Mrs.  Apricot  and  the  nurses  tried  to  reason  with  him, 
but  all  to  no  purpose ;  he  took  her  home,  and  she  soon 
passed  away. 

Mrs.  Apricot  then  took  the  eldest  girl,  "Olea-Fragrans," 
into  the  Children's  Home. 

She  is  only  six  years  of  age,  but  keeps  every  one  lively 
with  her  chatter,  and  old-fashioned  ways. 


92       DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

Whether  *'  Olea-Fragrans  "  romances  or  not  it  is  hard 
to  say,  but,  child  as  she  is,  she  often  keeps  Mrs.  Apricot 
and  the  matron  and  nurse  spellbound  while  she  repeats 
wonderful  conversations  she  has  heard  between  her 
parents. 

She  has  a  great  idea  of  management,  too,  and  tries  to 
make  the  younger  girls,  "Little-Cloud"  and  "Beauti- 
ful-Bravery," obey  her. 

"  Would  you  like  to  go  back  home,  '  Olea-Fragrans  '  ?  " 
asked  the  matron  one  day. 

"  That  is  not  my  desire.  It  is  happier — much  more — 
here.     I  will  stay  here,"  she  replied  promptly. 

The  lesson  for  the  evening  was  over,  and  the  children 
had  been  taught  their  prayer,  when  "  Olea-Fragrans,"  as 
she  was  going  to  bed,  announced  one  night: 

"  This  doctrine  you  teach  I  think  very  good  !  When  I 
grow  big  one  day  I  too  will  believe  it." 

She  evinces  some  amount  of  character,  and  is  a  striking 
personality  in  the  Home. 

Another  child,  called  "  Grace,"  was  in  the  Home  for 
a  long  time.  Her  father  was  a  leper,  and  was  brought 
to  the  Men's  Leper  House  a  good  many  years  ago.  They 
were  very  poor,  so  the  mother  was  kept  as  a  washerwoman 
in  the  Women's  Leper  Refuge  while  she  was  nursing  her 
baby,  or  he  would  probably  have  died  through  lack  of 
proper  nourishment. 

While  in  the  Refuge  the  woman  told  Mrs.  Apricot  that 
they  had  been  so  poor  they  had  sold  their  eldest  child  for 
six  dollars  to  a  woman  who  wanted  her  for  a  wife  for  her 
son.  She  was  not  a  nice  mother-in-law,  but  the  money 
was  badly  needed. 

Mrs.  Apricot's  motherly  heart  ached  until  she  had  with 
much  trouble  and  difficulty  traced  the  child.  She  found 
her  living  a  very  unhappy  life,  her  prospective  mother-in- 
law  being  very  cruel  to  her. 

At  first  the  mother-in-law  was  not  willing  to  give  her 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      93 

up ;  but  at  last  she  gave  way,  and  Mrs.  Apricot  redeemed 
the  child,  but  had  to  pay  more  than  the  original  sum  for 
her. 

She  was  a  curiosity  indeed  when  she  first  arrived. 
Little  of  the  child's  body  could  be  seen  for  dirt  and  rags. 
However,  she  was  soon  tubbed,  and  made  verily  a  new 
creature  in  appearance  when  combed  and  dressed. 

After  a  time  she  was  sent  to  school,  but,  like  many 
other  children,  she  there  had  her  ups  and  dowms.  She 
would  be  as  good  as  possible  for  a  while  and  then 
become  as  troublesome  as  children  are  made,  giving 
anxiety  and  sorrow  to  those  in  charge  of  her.  At  last 
Mrs.  Apricot  talked  seriously  to  her  about  the  need  she  had 
of  using  these  good  opportunities  and  not  abusing  them, 
and  gave  her  much  good  advice ;  but  it  was  of  no  use. 
Good  resolutions  only  seemed  made  to  be  broken  again. 

So  Mrs.  Apricot  thought  a  new  start  would  give  the  girl 
a  better  chance  of  doing  well. 

Grace  was  accordingly  taken  in  to  work  in  the  hospital, 
and  has  been  doing  well  there  for  some  years.  She 
is  a  good  nurse,  and  can  help  on  operation  days  very 
nicely,  so  perhaps  she  has  found  her  right  sphere. 

Grace's  baby  brother,  rightly  called  "  Saved-life,"  was 
also  an  inmate  of  the  Children's  Home,  and  is  even  now 
after  many  years  remembered  for  two  things — one,  his 
pretty  voice!  which  is  rather  unusual  in  China;  the  other, 
his  naughty  habits,  which  frequently  had  to  be  punished 
by  a  whipping  !  At  last  the  pain  of  whipping  him 
became  far  greater  to  Mrs.  Apricot  than  the  whipping  was 
to  *'  Saved-life,"  and  other  methods  of  punishing  him  had 
to  be  found. 

In  course  of  time  he  became  a  good  boy  and  went  to 
school.  On  leaving  he  was  apprenticed  to  the  printing 
trade  in  Shanghai,  where  he  too  is  now  doing  very  well. 

These  brief  sketches  are  of  a  few  only  of  the  many 
children  who  have  been  lifted  up  on  life's  pathway,  and 


94      DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

by  loving  care  and  good  training  have  been  taught  to  be 
self-supporting  and  self-respecting ;  above  all,  they  have 
been  taught  to  love  Jesus  Christ  in  their  childhood,  and 
thus  their  feet  have  been  led  into  the  way  of  Peace. 


CHAPTER   XI 

SHEWS  HOW  THE  GENERAL  WORKING  OF  THE  HOSPITAL 
HAS  GROWN  TO  BE  A  FORMIDABLE  UNDERTAKING, 
BOTH  PRACTICALLY  AND  FINANCIALLY.  TELLS  ALSO 
HOW  THE  doctor's  KNEE  WAS  MASSAGED  TO  THE 
AMUSEMENT  OF  HIS  WIFE,  AND  HOW  THE  DOCTOR'S 
WIFE  WAS  *' WARDED"  TO  THE  ANXIETY  OF  HER 
HUSBAND. 

MANY  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  opening  of 
the  Hospital  of  "  Universal  Benevolence." 
It  has  passed  even  a  belated  majority  of 
twenty-five  years,  and  each  year  has  been  marked  by 
continued  growth,  harmony,  goodwill  and  success,  in  all 
its  outward  working. 

The  spiritual  success  can  never  be  told  on  earth.  For 
lack  of  time,  and  lack  of  strength,  the  doctors  and  their 
helpers  could  not  keep  a  register  even  of  all  the  baptisms 
they  knew  of  as  a  direct  outcome  of  their  work. 

But  through  all  their  multifarious  duties  the  morning 
and  evening  teaching  in  the  wards  for  the  in-patients,  the 
daily  preaching  in  the  out-patients'  waiting  hall,  and  the 
bedside  personal  dealing  with  souls,  were  never  lost  sight 
of  or  neglected. 

The  chapel  room  had  long  ago  been  too  small  for  the 
assembling  of  doctors  and  assistants,  and  so  a  beautiful 
chapel  and  a  large  public  hall  had  been  added  to  the  other 
buildings  in  the  compound ;  and  in  the  chapel,  before 
work  began  in  the  out-patient  department,  all  workers  in 
the  compound  assembled,  and  Dr.  Apricot  or  Dr.  Fairfield 


96      DOCTOR  APPLfCOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW » 

or  some  other  worker  held  morning  service  and  gave  an 
address.  All  patients  able  to  walk  were  always  allowed 
to  attend  this  service,  which  greatly  helped  not  only  to 
keep  the  spiritual  element  of  the  work  before  each  worker, 
but  impressed  each  patient  with  the  fact  that  the  workers 
relied  for  their  daily  strength  on  the  heaven-given  supply, 
daily  asked  for  and  daily  granted  to  each  one. 

The  number  of  the  in-patients  increased  by  leaps  and 
bounds  ;  one  year  1,400,  and  two  years  later  over  1,800, 
were  nursed  and  cared  for  in  the  hospital.  Ward  men 
and  ward  nurses  had  to  be  continuously  in  training,  and 
thus  the  anxiety  and  care  were  ceaseless,  as  native 
workers  need  much  more  supervision  than  nurses  at  home  ; 
hence  the  arrival  of  an  English  lady  nurse  was  a  great 
relief  and  help  to  Mrs.  Apricot. 

The  European  staff  was  ably  assisted  by  three  fully 
qualified  native  doctors,  who  had  been  trained  by  Dr. 
Apricot.  These  men  were  an  untold  help  in  every  way, 
and  especially  in  the  enormous  Out-patient  department, 
where  over  72,000  were  personally  treated,  medically  or 
surgically,  during  one  year. 

The  year  following  this  very  large  access  of  work 
brought  even  greater  numbers  to  be  relieved  (as  the 
summer  was  particularly  trying),  and  the  total  reached 
that  year  was  over  83,000,  who  paid  visits  to  the  Dis- 
pensary or  Native  Consulting  Room,  in  addition  to  over 
1,500  nursed  in  the  wards,  and  the  patients  in  the  branch 
Refuges  and  Homes. 

The  growing  private  practice  among  the  better  class 
Chinese,  the  other  Missionaries,  and  the  Europeans  resi- 
dent in  ''  Heaven-Below,"  also  took  much  time  and 
strength. 

The  strength  of  the  medical  staff  needed  indeed  to  be 
herculean  to  get  through  so  much  work  in  a  climate 
which  varies  from  the  extreme  cold  of  winter,  when  deep 
snow  and  ice  abound  for  weeks,  to  the  excessive  heat  of 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW »      97 

summer,  when  the  temperature  registers  very  frequently 
95  degrees  in  the  shade,  a  time  when  the  ward  beds  are 
all  full,  the  out-patients'  waiting  hall  is  most  crowded, 
and  disease  abounds  in  the  city. 

Still  the  larger  the  private  practice  becomes,  the 
greater  the  fees  which  pour  into  the  hospital  coffers  ;  for 
the  fees  the  doctors  get  for  their  services  all  help  to  pay 
the  working  expenses  of  this  benevolent  institution. 

Amid  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  its  comings  and  goings, 
its  ups  and  downs,  its  sickness  and  health,  its  joys  and  its 
sorrows,  its  praise  and  its  blame.  Dr.  Apricot  kept  true  to 
the  principle  of  the  Secret  Society  which  he  started  the 
first  day  of  his  residence  in  China.  But  he  had  to  enlarge 
its  membership  and  spread  its  principles  in  every  direc- 
tion among  rich  and  poor,  old  and  young,  learned  and 
ignorant.  Christian  and  heathen,  European  and  native, 
for  the  "  Cheer  up"  Society  had  taken  hold  and  done  its 
duty,  and  the  world  was  better,  hearts  were  braver,  hands 
stronger,  lives  more  holy,  spirits  more  cheerful,  and 
work  more  successful  because  of  its  influence. 

We  have  said  that  the  record  of  direct  spiritual  results 
has  never  been  fully  kept,  but  every  year  many  have  been 
baptised,  having  learnt  to  trust  in  Jesus  for  salvation,  and 
constantly  reports  have  reached  the  doctors  or  their 
assistants  of  the  indirect  results  from  the  teaching  in  the 
wards  or  the  preaching  in  the  Dispensary. 

One  lady  Missionary,  visiting  in  a  village,  came  across 
some  of  the  first  patients  who  over  twenty  years  ago  had 
been  in  hospital  and  had  learnt  to  love  and  fear  God. 
These,  far  away  from  Christian  privileges,  had  continued 
to  worship  the  true  God  and  had  taught  others  what  they 
themselves  had  learnt  of  His  love  ;  and  the  prayers  they 
had  learned  they  had  in  turn  taught  their  friends  and 
neighbours. 

A  lady  writing  one  day  to  the  doctor  told  him  that 
in  a  country  place,  miles  away  from  any  Christian  church, 

H 


98      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

her  father  had  found  a  man  who  had  been  a  patient  in  the 
Hospital  many  years  ago,  and  had  left  without  deciding 
for  Christ.  He  later  became  an  earnest  Christian,  and 
not  only  so,  he  had  gathered  the  men  of  his  village  around 
him  and  taught  them  all  he  could  remember  ;  so  when 
the  Missionary  came  he  found  the  nucleus  of  a  church 
just  waiting  for  his  arrival  to  be  put  upon  a  permanent 
basis.  Thus  a  new  out-station  was  planted  for  God 
amidst  the  heathen. 

Such  instances  could  be  multiplied,  but  these  two 
indicate  the  far-reaching  effect  of  medical  work.  Not 
only  did  the  patients  themselves  receive  help  and  blessing, 
but  returning  to  their  homes  in  the  villages  they  tell 
over  and  over  the  things  they  have  seen  at  the  hospital, 
and  the  motive  of  all  these  works  of  mercy  ;  and  thus 
the  superstitions  and  prejudices  of  ages  are  gradually 
being  broken  down,  and  the  way  paved  for  the  advance  of 
the  Gospel. 

One  patient,  "  Come-brother,"  a  young  woman  who 
was  ill  in  the  wards  for  over  a  month,  was  very  bright 
and  happy,  and  most  grateful  for  all  that  was  done  for 
her.  Like  the  seed  sown  on  the  stony  ground,  she 
received  the  word  gladly,  but  did  not  become  a  decided 
Christian  herself,  yet  she  successfully  taught  her  father 
on  her  return  home  what  she  had  learnt,  and  the  result 
was  that  he  was  so  impressed  that  he  visited  the 
Dispensary  ostensibly  to  be  treated  for  his  rheumatism, 
but  his  real  reason  was  to   hear  more  "  about  Jesus." 

He  became  an  earnest  Christian,  and  was  baptised. 

Another  very  interesting  case  was  that  of  a  blind 
woman,  who  hoped  that  the  doctors  would  touch  her 
ej^es  and  say  "  Open,"  and  she  would  be  able  to  see. 
This  was,  however,  impossible,  but  being  in  a  weak  con- 
dition of  health  she  was  kept  in  hospital  on  the  ground 
of  general  debility,  and  while  there  embraced  Christianity 
with  the  joyous  enthusiasm  too  seldom  seen,     She  now 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "      99 

lives  with  a  daughter,  and  uses  every  opportunity,  of 
which  she  has  many,  to  tell  others  "  what  a  friend  she 
has  in  Jesus." 

In  the  men's  hospital  a  man  suffered  from  diphtheria 
and  was  very  ill,  so  much  so  that  Dr.  Apricot  had  to  tell 
him  he  was  dying.  Each  day  the  man  had  God's  love 
and  Christ's  salvation  put  before  him. 

But  in  cases  of  severe  illness,  combined  with  the  dense 
darkness  of  heathenism,  one  often  has  the  sorrow  of 
knowing  it  is  too  late  for  them  to  understand  such 
wonderful  truth.  In  this  case  the  man  did  not  profess 
to  grasp  the  truth  for  his  own  benefit,  but  v/hen  he  heard 
he  was  dying  he  begged  to  go  home.  When  he  arrived  he 
gathered  all  his  relatives  together,  his  wife,  his  sons,  and 
grandsons,  and  begged  them  not  to  have  heathen  rites 
at  his  funeral.  He  commanded  them  to  believe  in  God 
and  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  to  put  away  all  idols.  We  can 
but  leave  such  cases  to  the  all-loving  Father's  mercy. 

During  the  hot  summer  days  typhoid  is  always  present 
in  China,  but  not  in  its  regular  distinctive  symptoms  as 
met  with  in  this  country,  where  it  runs  its  twenty-one  days' 
course  and  then  terminates,  or  convalescence  sets  in  ; 
in  its  later  stages  in  China  it  takes  on  very  frequently 
the  symptoms  of  intermittent  fever  ;  convalescence 
is  delayed,  and  is  a  long  and  trying  process  when  it  does 
begin.  Some  cases,  usually  young  people,  do  occasionally 
run  an  ordinary  typhoid  course,  but  these  cases  are  rare. 

Mrs.  Tse,  the  wife  of  a  well-to-do  tailor,  was  a  typhoid 
patient  who  had  been  seriously  ill  some  time  and  under 
the  care  of  native  doctors,  who  assured  her  she  could  not 
possibly  recover. 

She  was  not  a  stranger  to  the  Gospel,  for  she  had  been 
the  friend  of  a  boarding-school  girl,  who  had  first  sown 
the  Gospel  seed  in  her  heart  many  years  previously. 
Having  then  become  interested  in  Christianity,  she 
attended  the  hospital  for  some  small  ailment,  in   order 


loo     DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

really  to  get  further  instruction  in  the  doctrine  which  had 
laid  such  hold  upon  her  mind. 

Her  husband  had  been  very  prejudiced  against  innova- 
tions on  Chinese  customs,  and  strongly  disapproved  of  his 
wife  going  to  the  Mission  Chapel  at  the  hospital,  or 
having  anything  to  do  with  foreigners.  He  often  beat 
her  and  scolded  her  severely,  but  she  was  not  thereby 
persuaded  to  let  go  what  seemed  to  her  so  precious  to  her 
soul. 

When  the  native  doctors  gave  her  notice  of  her  coming 
demise  her  husband  became  willing  to  try  the  skill  of  the 
hated  foreign  doctors.  So  she  was  brought  on  a  stretcher 
to  the  hospital,  where  she  lay  for  days  in  a  most  critical 
condition,  for  she  had  been  nursing  her  husband,  who 
had  the  fever  first  (but  was  now  recovering),  and  was  in  a 
weakened  condition  when  attacked  herself. 

After  many  weeks  of  care  and  nursing  she  recovered, 
and  during  convalescence  her  interest  deepened  in  all 
Christian  teaching. 

While  she  was  ill,  and  during  his  own  convalescence, 
her  husband  had  time  to  meditate  on  his  wife's  behaviour 
and  her  conversation  about  the  one  true  God,  and  he 
became  impressed  with  the  reality  of  Christianity. 

So  in  order  to  get  further  teaching  he  became  an  out- 
patient, obtaining  also  medicine  to  quicken  his  returning 
strength,  which  had  somewhat  lagged  after  his  wife 
became  too  ill  to  nurse  and  look  after  him. 

When  Mrs.  Tse  was  convalescing,  her  husband  came 
to  see  her  in  hospital,  and  told  her  "to  recover  and 
quickly  believe,  for  now  he  too  desired  to  believe  the 
doctrine." 

This  beautiful  news  so  cheered  Mrs.  Tse  that  her 
recovery  was  thereb}^  hastened,  and  on  her  return  home 
she  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  find  how  sincere  her 
husband's  words  had  been. 

When  Sunday  morning  came  round  her  surprise  was 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "    loi 

even  greater  to  see  him  in  his  best  clothes  preparing  to 
go  out. 

**  Are  you  not  working  to-day  ?  "  asked  his  wife  timidly. 

**  No,  this  is  the  Christians'  worship  day.  I  thought  I 
would  go  and  hear  more  about  the  true  God." 

"  These  words  very  good  to  hear,"  exclaimed  his  wife, 
flushing  with  pleasure;  but  still  further  excitement  was  in 
store  for  her. 

"Can  you  walk  as  far  as  the  Hospital  Chapel?"  he 
inquired  with  some  kindness  and  solicitude. 

"I  should  like  to  try,"  she  replied,  thinking  with 
thankfulness  that  her  times  of  being  beaten  for  attending 
worship  had  now  changed  indeed. 

So  they  went  off  together  to  learn  more  of  the 
foreigner's  God,  who  they  now  believed  ought  to  be 
their  God  too. 

The  following  day  a  good  bonfire  in  their  back  yard 
burnt  up  their  idols  and  the  appurtenances  to  idol 
worship. 

It  was  some  time  before  Mr.  Tse  saw  that  his  w^orkmen 
who  were  heathen  ought  not  to  be  employed  by  him  on 
the  Sunday. 

But  in  time  he  realized  that  his  shop  must  be  closed, 
his  workmen  given  rest,  and  that  the  day  must  be  kept 
"  holy  to  the  Lord." 

What  this  meant  from  a  business  point  of  view  can 
hardly  be  judged  in  a  country  where  Sunday  closing  is  the 
rule  of  the  nation. 

After  due  preparation  both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tse  were 
baptised. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  one  of  the  most  exciting 
scenes  took  place  in  the  hospital  wards,  affording  a 
number  of  the  old  women  patients,  who  were  all  devoted 
to  the  doctor  and  his  wife,  an  opportunity  of  showing  their 
solicitude  for  them. 

On  his  morning  rounds  he  ever  joked  and  laughed  with 


102     DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

the  patients,  brightening  their  day  by  his  sunny  visit,  his 
wife  accompanying  him  as  the  superintendent  of  the 
hospital,  and  often  shaking  her  head  at  him  as  if  to 
reprove  him  for  being  too  merry.  ■ 

On  the  morning  in  question  Mrs.  Apricot  had  left  the 
w^ard  for  something  that  was  wanted,  and  in  passing  from 
one  bedside  to  another  the  doctor  knocked  his  knee-cap 
and  hurt  himself  considerably. 

The  patients  who  were  up  and  dressed  hurried  to  his 
assistance  and  made  such  a  fuss  and  lament  over  him  that 
he  wickedly  groaned  a  great  deal  more  than  was  absolutely 
necessary. 

One  old  lady  offered  to  rub  the  wounded  part ;  being  a 
hot  day,  one  or  two  commenced  to  fan  him ;  another  held 
the  leg  ;  while  a  fifth  supported  his  back  ;  a  sixth  felt  his 
pulse  ;  and  a  seventh  ran  for  his  wife.  The  rest  gathered 
round. 

On  Mrs.  Apricot's  return  she  saw  at  a  glance  that  the 
doctor  was  enjoying  himself  and  entertaining  the  patients 
old  and  young,  who  were  all  most  strenuously  and 
seriously  trying  to  comfort  and  help  him. 

She  was  vastly  amused  and  exclaimed : 

"  Ah  the  poor  doctor,  you  are  doing  just  right,  go  on 
with  the  treatment,  all  of  you,  and  I  will  go  and  fetch 
something  else  !  " 

In  all  good  faith  they  continued;  the  crowd  gathering 
additional  numbers  of  sympathetic  onlookers  every 
minute  as  word  passed  from  ward  to  ward,  "  Dr.  Apricot 
has  had  an  accident  and  hurt  his  leg." 

When  Mrs.  Apricot  returned  the  "  something  "  she  had 
fetched  proved  to  be  a  camera,  and  she  took  a  snap-shot 
of  the  whole  performance,  which  was  called  "  The  tables 
are  turned,"  where  the  doctor  is  patient  and  the  patients 
are  doctors  !  ! 

A  visitation  of  dengue  fever  of  such  severity  as  had  never 
before  visited  *'  Heaven-Below  "  broke  out  in  the  summer 


Doctor  apricot  of  "heaven-below   103 

of  1903.  The  whole  city  was  stricken  from  one  end  to 
the  other. 

Dengue  fever  is  a  native  malady,  having  many  of  the 
symptoms  of  influenza  as  it  presented  itself  in  this  country 
in  the  early  nineties. 

High  fever,  severe  pain,  complications,  sudden  collapse  ; 
or,  if  recovery,  prolonged  convalescence,  often  leaving 
weakness  of  the  eyes,  deafness,  chronic  neuralgia,  throat 
trouble,  heart  weakness,  or  some  other  ailment  which  only 
yields  to  long  course  treatment.  It  is  a  very  fatal  fever 
among  the  Chinese,  and  many  thousands  of  people 
succumbed  to  its  power. 

The  hospital  staff  suffered  so  much  that  the  hospital 
had  to  be  closed  for  a  time. 

The  ward-men  fell  ill,  the  nurses  were  laid  low  with  it, 
the  scrubbers,  and  coolies,  and  cooks  were  all  down  one 
after  the  other,  and  in  such  numbers,  that  it  was  impossi- 
ble to  attend  to  patients. 

The  European  doctors  were  sent  for  in  every  direction 
all  the  day  through  by  the  wealthier  classes  of  Chinese : 
people  died  quicker  than  men  could  make  coffins  to  bury 
them,  and  some  had  to  be  buried  without  coffins. 

One  day  Mrs.  Apricot  was  feeling  weak  and  ill  when  the 
doctor  returned  worn  out  and  exhausted,  having  had  no 
time  for  food,  and  when  he  could  take  it,  he  felt  too  ill  to 
care  for  it. 

The  next  morning  Dr.  Fairfield  was  almost  alone  on 
the  battlefield.  Here  and  there  a  weak  and  trembling 
convalescent  tried  to  assist  him,  but  without  much 
strength,  so  that  though  the  "will"  was  there,  the 
"power"  to  help  had  gone. 

Mrs.  Apricot  was  laid  up  with  it  before  the  doctor  was 
better,  and  Dr.  Fairfield  was  also  a  victim  to  it.  All  the 
Mission  houses  were  like  hospitals  ;  the  Consulate  and  the 
Customs  had  their  share ;  the  whole  city  was  terrorized 
by   its  effects.     Thousands  caught   it    by   infection  and 


104    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

hundreds   induced  the  infection  of  it  by  fear.     No  one 
felt  safe. 

Praj^er  was  made  in  the  Churches  and  Mission  Chapels 
that  God  would  graciously  stay  His  hand,  and  the  prayer 
of  faith  was  heard. 

Cases  became  fewer,  convalescents  crept  about  weak 
and  feeble,  trying  to  take  up  the  burden  of  life  once  more. 
Just  at  the  end  one  clerical  Missionary  died. 

Every  Missionary  who  could  get  away  to  the  hills  or 
to  a  distant  station  was  sent  off,  and  those  who  could  not 
go  did  their  best  to  get  strong  at  home. 

So  severe  was  the  epidemic  that  months  afterwards 
"weak  hearts,"  and  other  sequelae  were  still  troubHng 
Europeans  and  natives. 

When  things  resumed  their  normal  course  Dr.  Fairfield 
took  special  charge  of  the  work  among  the  lepers.  He 
quite  adopted  them  and  took  them  to  his  heart.  Though 
they  grew  to  love  him  and  watch  for  his  coming  and 
greet  him  cheerily  when  he  arrived,  they  still  kept  the 
old  corner  for  their  first  and  best  friend.  Dr.  Apricot. 

It  was  a  great  interest  to  Dr.  Fairfield  taking  the  leper 
service  on  a  Sunday  and  by  this  means  liberating  Dr. 
Apricot  for  the  service  for  assistants  and  hospital  workers 
in  the  compound  chapel  every  Sunday  afternoon. 

Dr.  Fairfield,  taking  over  a  good  share  of  the  work, 
also  enabled  Dr.  Apricot  to  give  more  time  to  transla- 
tional  work  for  his  students,  which  year  by  year  grew  in 
importance. 

In  the  autumn  patients  again  filled  the  hospital  in  such 
numbers  that  some  had  no  beds  to  sleep  in  and  were 
simply  lying  rolled  up  in  their  quilts  on  the  floor.  Every 
bed  was  filled,  and  all  the  members  of  the  larger  staff 
were  working  their  hardest  to  save  the  souls  and  bodies 
of  their  patients. 

Among  the  interesting  patients  were  some  from  high 
families.     The  Prefect's  own  household  contributed  two 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW »     105 

patients  ;  one  was  soon  better,  and  went  with  her  husband 
when  he  was  preferred  to  another  sphere. 

But  the  sister-in-law  who  came  in  suffering  with  cancer 
in  the  breast  was  left  in  the  hospital,  as  her  case  was  quite 
hopeless,  and  she  could  be  better  attended  to  there  than 
at  home. 

Dyen  T'ai  T'ai  proved  to  be  most  patient  and  grateful 
for  all  that  was  done  for  her,  and  gave  no  trouble.  Her 
Amah,  or  waiting-maid,  was  an  exceptionally  kind  woman, 
and  was  most  attentive  to  her  mistress,  never  sparing 
herself  any  trouble. 

"  What  makes  you  so  kind.  Amah,  to  your  mistress  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Apricot  one  day.  **  Is  it  pity  which  touches 
your  heart  ?  " 

"Not  so,  but  if  at  a  future  time  I  should  so  suffer,  I 
hope  some  kindness  will  be  shown  me,"  replied  the 
woman. 

Dyen  T'ai  T'ai  gave  much  attention  to  the  Gospel  story 
from  the  first  day  in  hospital. 

She  never  tired  of  being  taught  and  talked  to  of  God 
and  His  love,  and  before  she  died  gave  full  evidence  she 
was  indeed  trusting  in  Christ. 

"  Who  are  you  trusting,  T'ai  T'ai  ?  "  she  was  asked 
one  day  before  she  died. 

"  The  Lord  Jesus  only,"  was  her  reply. 

And  her  last  words  were  to  the  same  effect. 

One  case  in  the  women's  ward  was  very  interesting. 
A  girl  came  in  to  be  operated  on  for  hair-lip,  as  it 
prevented  her  betrothal  !  This  was  successfully  done, 
and  the  girl  was  very  delighted  with  her  '^  very-beautiful- 
to-look-at  "  face.  But  what  was  even  more  satisfactory, 
her  friends  were  much  pleased  and  felt  that  the  powers 
of  the  good  doctors  were  indeed  miraculous. 

Another  case  which  deserves  mention  is  very  touch- 
ing and  pathetic.  It  was  that  of  a  poor  woman  who 
came  to  have  her  hand  cured.     Her  home  was  a  very 


io6    DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

unhappy  one,  and  she  had  to  work  very  hard  at  making 
paper,  and  this  had  injured  her  hand  and  arm.  The  bones 
were  so  diseased  that  she  had  to  have  her  arm  amputated 
just  below  the  elbow.  This  was  felt  to  be  such  a  disgrace 
by  her  husband  that  he  refused  to  have  her  home  again, 
so  the  poor  woman  was  left  quite  destitute. 

A  lady  missionary,  hearing  of  this,  kindly  provided  her 
with  a  home  in  a  Christian  household,  where  she  was 
taught  more  of  the  Gospel  and  the  doctrines  of  the 
Christian  faith. 

She  was  afterwards  baptised  and  confirmed,  and, 
receiving  further  training,  ultimately  became  a  most 
useful  Biblewoman,  working  first  with  one  lady  mis- 
sionary and  later  with  another,  who  both  bore  testimony 
to  her  faithfulness. 

She  was  often  taunted  by  the  Chinese  about  her  one- 
armed  condition,  but  nothing  daunted  she  would  reply, 
quite  gently  : 

"Yes!  truly,  my  arm  is  lost,  but  Christ  I  found,"  and 
would  proceed  to  tell  them  who  Christ  was,  and  thus 
made  her  very  affliction  a  means  to  spread  the  love  of 
Christ  Jesus  her  Lord.  She  died  of  cholera  after  much 
suffering  and  only  a  short  illness. 

Mrs.  Apricot,  who  always  worked  most  unselfishly  and 
untiringly,  had  an  uncomfortable  experience  one  day  in 
going  round  the  women's  wards  of  the  hospital.  Being 
more  than  usually  tired,  and  the  morning  being  one  of 
those  fatiguing  ones  which  try  strong  people  in  good 
health  and  are  exceptionally  trying  to  run-down  people, 
Mrs.  Apricot  fainted  beside  the  bed  of  one  of  the 
patients. 

The  consternation  of  nurses  and  patients  can  hardly  be 
described.  They  at  once  lifted  her  into  one  of  the 
patient's  beds  and  began  their  usual  native  methods  of 
bringing  her  round.  Some  one  hurriedly  fetched  Dr. 
Apricot  who,  while  very  grateful  to  them  all  for  their 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW »    107 

kind  care,  preferred  to  treat  his  wife  in  her  own  bed, 
whither  she  was  soon  conveyed. 

"  Now,  Gertie,  you  must  rest,  I  forbid  any  more  work 
at  present.  Your  life  is  too  precious  for  me  to  let  you 
kill  yourself  entirely." 

"  But,  Charles,  I  really  feel—" 

"  No  doubt,  my  dear,  you  do  feel  a  trifle  better,  but 
you  are  thoroughly  run  down,  and  in  bed  you  stay  until 
I  get  you  fed  up.  Then  you  must  be  off  to  the  Sanatorium 
for  a  few  days,  or  go  to  Shanghai  for  a  change,  whichever 
you  like." 

But  as  the  doctor  went  about  his  work  that  day  and  for 
several  days  he  realised  all  the  weight  of  work  and  respon- 
sibility which  such  a  number  of  inmates  and  establish- 
ments threw  upon  his  wife.  He  realised,  as  perhaps, 
never  so  fully  before,  what  a  tower  of  love  and  strength 
she  had  been  to  him,  sharing  his  work,  his  hopes  and 
fears,  through  summer  and  winter,  heat  and  cold,  joy  and 
sorrow  for  nearly  thirty  years. 

So  when  a  few  days  later  she  was  able  to  start  for  a 
change  to  Shanghai  he  felt  more  hopeful  about  her.  But 
when  she  was  fully  recovered  and  able  to  return  after  her 
little  visit  the  doctor  still  felt  anxious,  and  decided  that 
their  furlough  must  on  no  account  be  delayed  again,  for  his 
wife  needed  a  more  prolonged  change  to  do  her  permanent 
good. 


CHAPTER   XII 

GIVES  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  CHINESE  WOMEN,  THEIR 
SOCIAL  POSITION,  THEIR  TRIALS  AND  SORROWS  ; 
AND  TELLS  HOW  MRS.  APRICOT,  AIDED  BY  SOME 
INTELLIGENT  CHINESE  LADIES,  ENDEAVOURED  TO 
SUCCOUR   THEM    IN    THEIR   NEED. 

ONLY  those  who  have  learnt  their  language  and  lived 
among  them,  talking  with  them  of  their  joys  and 
their  sorrows,  making  them  feel  that  they  go  among 
them  as  friends,  can  really  appreciate  the  position  of 
Chinese  women,  and  sympathise  with  them. 

They  are  never  looked  upon  as  the  equals  of  their 
husbands,  and  it  is  not  thought  necessary  for  girls  to  be 
educated.  Only  since  lady  missionaries  have  devoted 
their  lives  to  work  among  women  and  girls  of  China  have 
parents  realized  that  girls  have  brains  as  well  as  boys,  if 
only  they  get  a  chance  to  use  them. 

So  for  centuries  they  have  lived  and  died  in  ignorance 
of  reading  or  writing.  With  but  here  and  there  a  rare 
exception,  their  lives  are  spent  in  a  weary  monotonous 
round  of  cooking  and  field  work,  if  of  the  working 
classes ;  cooking  and  making  their  pretty  shoes  and 
headdresses,  dressing  themselves  and  painting  their  faces, 
if  of  the  middle  and  upper  classes. 

Gentlemen  in  China  do  not  inquire  of  their  friends  how 
their  wife  is  and  express  the  hope  that  she  is  well ;  it  is 
not  according  to  Chinese  etiquette  to  mention  the  wife  in 
conversation  at  all,  but  if  she  has  to  be  spoken  of,  some 
expression  of  a  very  unflattering  nature  is  used  to  indicate 

108 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "     109 

who  is  meant,  such  as  his  ''  dull  thorn."  Men,  when  they 
go  visiting,  do  not  take  their  wives  with  them  as 
Europeans  do,  and  if  the  husband  is  receiving  visitors  the 
wife  and  daughters  keep  as  a  rule  to  their  own  apartments. 

Many  girls  have  never  spoken  to  a  man  outside  their 
own  family  before  their  wedding  day.  This  remark 
applies  to  the  middle  and  upper  classes. 

The  women  of  the  working  classes  have  certainly  the 
best  of  it,  living  as  they  do  a  more  free  and  out-of-door 
life,  and  having  better  health  in  consequence.  They  have 
also  the  advantage  in  the  matter  of  foot-binding,  which, 
though  it  exists,  is  not,  in  the  nature  of  things,  so 
general  where  women  have  to  carry  loads  or  work  in  the 
fields. 

But  the  peculiar  trials  of  women  and  girls  in  China 
come  from  their  custom  of  living  in  groups  .of 
families.  The  sons  of  a  household  bring  their  brides  to 
their  parents'  home,  where  the  mother-in-law's  rule  is 
often  extremely  heavy,  and  where  sisters-in-law  are  often 
the  reverse  of  friendly  companions. 

In  addition  to  this  there  is  the  custom  of  foot-binding, 
which  brings  them  untold  suffering  ;  wounds  and  ulcers, 
and  many  forms  of  blood-poisoning  often  resulting  from 
the  cruel  practice,  which  also  prevents  them  from  having 
outdoor  pleasures. 

There  is,  however,  a  considerable  awakening  about  the 
evil  of  foot-binding,  and  societies  have  been  formed  in 
various  cities  for  the  purpose  of  discouraging  this  evil 
practice. 

But  as  we  realize  how  in  our  own  small  country 
enthusiasts  have  been  working  and  praying  for  many  years 
to  educate  public  opinion  on  some  matter  of  reform,  say, 
the  subject  of  temperance,  and  have  proved  what  a  slow 
and  disheartening  work  it  is,  we  can  understand  that  in 
China  a  few  circles  united  for  the  suppression  of  foot- 
binding  have  a  considerable   task  before  them,  as  they 


no    DOCTOR  APRICOT  OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

seek  to  convince  four  hundred  millions  of  people  that  what 
for  several  centuries  has  been  their  custom  ought  never 
to  exist. 

Still,  that  such  movements  are  on  foot  among  the 
upper  classes  is  cause  for  congratulation. 

One  lady  whom  Mrs.  Apricot  had  met  among  the  upper 
class  ladies  she  visited  and  prescribed  for  from  time  to 
time,  who  had  not  yet  overcome  their  prejudice  as  to 
seeing  a  foreign  medical  man,  had  held  a  meeting  for 
ladies  of  her  own  position  to  discuss  the  merits  and 
demerits  of  foot-binding.  She  had  already  unbound  her 
own  feet,  being  more  advanced  than  her  friends,  and  the 
result  of  the  meeting  was  that  quite  a  number  of  ladies 
joined  the  Union  and  agreed  to  allow  their  daughters  to 
grow  up  with  natural  feet. 

That  this  makes  for  better  health,  more  freedom  of 
life  and  character  there  is  no  doubt,  and  one  longs  for  the 
time  when  the  binding  of  children's  feet  shall  be  an  act 
punishable  by  the  law  of  the  land. 

When  Chinese  women  are  visited  by  the  ordinary  aches 
and  pains  of  human  life,  or  when  disease  lays  them  low, 
they  often  endure  in  silence ;  or  are  treated  by  the 
"wise"  woman  of  the  locality;  or  repair  to  a  native 
doctor  ;  in  either  case  they  are  more  frequently  worse 
than  better  as  a  consequence.  But  more  on  the  subject 
of  native  doctors  will  be  found  in  the  next  chapter. 

What  women  suffer  in  their  confinements,  sometimes 
because  of  the  early  marriage  age,  and  often  because  of 
want  of  proper  medical  care,  is  more  than  we  can  speak 
of.  If  matters  do  not  run  an  even  course  the  tortures 
resorted  to  in  order  to  bring  about  delivery  cannot  be 
described. 

Amid  the  general  enlightenment  which  is  working  its 
way  into  the  minds  of  the  gentry  of  "  Heaven-Below  " 
through  the  doings  of  the  Hospital  of  Universal 
Benevolence,  there  had  grown  up  the  gradual  conviction 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW"     iii 

that  a  midwifery  school  for  training  women  for  the  busi- 
ness of  accoucheurs  would  be  of  immense  advantage  to  the 
ladies  and  indeed  the  women  of  all  classes  in  the  city. 
So  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Apricot  were  approached  by  some  of  the 
gentry  as  to  the  possibility  of  their  doing  something  in 
the  matter. 

Finally,  they  agreed  to  open  a  Midwifery  Training 
School,  and  had  to  build  specially  for  this  purpose  a 
convenient  and  suitable  place,  which  they  were  able  to  do 
within  the  hospital  grounds,  and  thus  have  it  in  connec- 
tion with  the  Mission. 

When  the  school  was  built,  with  its  lecture  hall  and 
class-room,  students'  rooms,  wards  for  practical  training, 
and  wards  for  women  after  delivery,  bills  were  put  out 
announcing  that  the  school  was  ready,  and  inviting  those 
who  wished  to  be  trained  to  send  in  their  names. 

To  the  surprise  of  the  staff  many  more  applied  than 
they  had  expected,  some  ninety  registering  their  names, 
but  only  about  fifty  turned  up  on  the  day  appointed  for 
interviews. 

Mrs.  Apricot  and  three  of  the  native  T'ai  T'ai  ladies 
most  interested  in  the  work  interviewed  each  candidate, 
and  questioned  her  as  to  her  reason  for  wishing  to  be 
trained,  her  age,  family,  health,  &c.  The  candidates 
were  also  examined  in  reading  by  one  Chinese  helper  and 
in  writing:  by  another. 

Out  of  the  number  who  offered  themselves  twenty-two 
were  ultimately  trained,  most  of  whom  passed  their 
examinations  exceedingly  well,  and  obtained  their  certifi- 
cates, and  then  departed  to  help  their  native  sisters  and 
at  the  same  time  earn  their  own  living.  Eight  of  the 
students  learned  the  way  of  salvation  and  asked  for 
baptism.  The  matron  also  became  more  earnest  and 
clear  in  her  faith,  and  requested  to  be  baptised  too,  so 
all  were  received  into  Church  membership  at  the  same 
time, 


112     DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

A  few  remained  to  help  for  a  while  in  teaching  the 
Roman  letters  to  the  twenty-three  new  pupils  who 
sought  admittance,  and  proved  themselves  no  mean 
teachers. 

The  great  blessing  which  this  branch  of  the  work  will 
be  to  the  women  of  "  Heaven-below  "  in  the  most  crucial 
moments  of  their  lives,  we  who  know  something  of  the 
native  treatment  meted  out  to  them  by  their  fellow- 
women,  can  well  imagine,  and  not  less  will  it  begin  a  new 
era  in  the  lives  of  the  infants  of  the  Empire. 

Many  of  the  abnormal  and  enormous  growths  on  the 
heads  of  boys  and  girls,  and  men  and  women,  are,  we 
believe,  due  to  the  terrible  falls  the  children  meet  with 
when  they  enter  the  world. 

"  How  many  thousands,  ay,  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
mothers  will  have  cause  to  bless  the  day  this  maternity 
work  was  started,"  said  Dr.  Apricot  to  his  wife  one 
morning,  "  I  have  been  out  since  four  o'clock  at  a  very 
distressing  case,  and  had  to  use  every  effort  to  save  the 
mother's  life." 

"  Were  the  people  of  the  house  nice  ?  "  asked  Mrs. 
Apricot. 

"  Yes,  very,  and  so  grateful.  The  husband  and  I  talked 
a  good  deal  now  and  again,  and  he  is  *  coming  to  the 
services  on  Sunday,'  he  says,  'to  hear  more  of  this  good 
news.' " 

'*  What  grand  opportunities  we  get  for  sowing  the 
Gospel  seed,"  replied  his  wife.  After  a  pause  she  asked, 
*'  Do  you  know  any  specially  good  news  this  morning, 
Charlie  ?  " 

"  No,  is  there  any  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  Yes,  Dr.  Fairfield  has  just  been  in  to  tell  us  he  is 
engaged  to  the  sweetest  lady  in  the  Mission,"  she 
answered. 

"  Sweetest  to  him,"  corrected  the  doctor,  smiling. 

"  Oh  !  of  course  we   understand   that,"   she    replied. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  ^'HEAVEN-BELOW"     113 

"  The  lady  is  Miss  Dawson  ;  I  am  so  glad.  I  shall  make 
time  to  run  over  and  tell  her  so." 

**  Dr.  Fairfield  needed  a  wife  ;  I  am  sure  he  was  often 
lonely ;  I  am  very  glad  for  his  sake  too,"  Dr.  Apricot 
added.  "  If  she  proves  to  him  what  you  have  been  to  me, 
Gertie,  the  man  will  be  greatly  blessed." 

*'  Thank  you,  Charlie.  Now  let  us  get  our  breakfast, 
for  we  are  late — it  is  nearly  church  time. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

CONTAINS  SOME  REMARKS  ON  NATIVE  DOCTORS,  AND  TELLS 
HOW  EASILY  A  MAN  PASSES  FROM  A  COOK  TO  A 
DOCTOR,  FROM  A  BOTTLE-WASHER  TO  A  DRUGGIST  ; 
ALSO  GIVES  SOME  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  TRAINING  OF 
STUDENTS  IN  WESTERN  MEDICINE,  AND  OF  A  NEW 
TREATMENT  WHICH  CAUSES  MUCH  ASTONISHMENT 
TO   THE    NATIVES. 

THOUSANDS    of  cases,    more   or   less  of  a   serious 
nature,  are  not  brought  in  their  initial  stage  to  the 
Hospital  of  Universal  Benevolence. 
The  usual  thing  is  first  to  try  native  doctors  and  use 
the  remedies  prescribed  by  them. 

The  training  of  a  native  doctor  is  very  meagre,  if 
indeed  he  may  be  said  to  have  any  at  all ;  he  is  merely 
apprenticed  to  a  quack,  who  takes  great  care  not  to  make 
him  as  wise  as  himself,  remembering  the  proverb  "  The 
teacher  must  always  remain  wiser  than  the  taught." 

Others  inherit  prescriptions  and  drugs  as  some  people 
do  money,  and  often  make  fortunes  out  of  their  legacy, 
to  the  sorrow  and  poverty  and  often  the  death  of  their 
patients. 

During  the  last  thirty  years  servants  in  the  employ  of 
mission  houses  or  mission  doctors  have  been  called  in  on 
occasions  to  help  at  dispensary  work,  and  having  become 
bitten  with  the  desire  to  better  themselves,  have  left 
their  situation  to  set  up  as  a  "  Western  doctor,"  profiting 
by  the  experience  obtained  in  their  "last  place." 

The  diseases  treated  by  these  so-called  doctors  are  more 

114 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"     115 

often  ''  improved  for  the  worse,"  as  the  Irishman  said, 
than  "improved  for  the  better."  Their  knowledge  of 
drugs  is  ver}^  limited,  and  their  knowledge  of  the  human 
body  is  much  more  limited  still.  An  abscess  is  often 
sealed  up  with  a  filthy  plaster,  "Warranted,"  as  Dr. 
Apricot  often  said,  "never  to  come  off,"  instead  of  being 
lanced  and  drained. 

Abdominal  pains  are  grossly  aggravated  by  rusty  needles 
being  pushed  into  the  body  to  find  out  how  deeply  rooted 
the  disease  is !  in  m.ost  cases  adding  blood-poisoning  to 
the  original  complaint. 

Frequently  powdered  tiger  bones  are  dusted  into  open 
wounds  to  stop  bleeding!  and  the  juice  of  snakes' skins 
boiled  down  is  sometimes  applied  as  a  balsam  ! 

Patients  often  hover  between  the  western  medical  man 
and  the  native  doctor,  taking  a  dose  of  each  medicine, 
and  wonder  the  cure  is  not  as  quick  as  magic  ! 

Native  surgical  work  is  on  a  very  small  scale,  and  never 
is  any  degree  of  cleanliness  deemed  an  important  factor 
towards  successful  recovery. 

How  horrified  an  English  surgeon  would  be  to  see  "a 
Chinese  surgeon  clip  off  an  old  standing  opacity  of  the 
cornea,  or  to  see  a  dirty  needle  stuck  into  an  opaque  lens 
to  improve  the  patient's  sight." 

Patients  constantly  arrived  at  the  Hospital  of  Universal 
Benevolence  in  a  dying  condition,  "the  whole  body 
sick "  from  the  things  they  had  suffered  of  many 
physicians  (so  called),  and  the  whole  heart  faint  with 
dread  of  the  inevitable  future,  of  which  they  know 
nothing,  but  imagine  it  to  be  crowded  with  unutterable 
terrors  and  woes,  infinitely  worse  than  anything  they  have 
seen  or  suffered  in  their  present  life. 

Chinese  doctors  are  not  spoken  of  as  general  practi- 
tioners, but  as  "inside  body"  doctors,  "  outside  body" 
doctors,  and  "  eye  doctors." 

An  illustration  of  this  distinction  was  vividly  portrayed 


ii6    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

when  a  Chinese  carpenter  pierced  his  foot  with  an  ugly 
splinter,  while  building  a  house  for  a  native  doctor.  The 
doctor  himself  being  on  the  premises  at  once  intimated 
that  "  for  the  usual  gratuity  he  would  attend  to  the  foot." 

The  carpenter  was  a  poor  workman,  not  a  master 
builder,  but  paid  the  fee  and  tendered  the  injured  member 
for  treatment. 

The  doctor  promptly  cut  off  the  splinter  level  to  the 
surface  of  the  foot,  mixed  a  plaster  and  stuck  it  on. 

"  Is  all  the  wood  out  of  my  foot  ?  "  asked  the  patient ; 
"  it  still  has  great  pain." 

"Ah!  no — I  have  only  dealt  with  the  outside;  I  am 
not  an  inside  doctor  and  dare  not  presume,"  was  the 
reply  he  received. 

Truly  it  may  be  said  of  most  of  those  who  go  to  the 
native  doctors  they  are  nothing  the  better  but  much  the 
worse  ;  money  gone,  health  gone,  patience  gone,  and  only 
the  disease  has  gained  ground  in  their  poor  afflicted 
bodies. 

"  Why  is  breakfast  so  late  this  morning  ?  "  Dr.  Apricot 
asked  one  morning,  when  he  had  waited  ten  minutes 
beyond  the  usual  time,  and  his  wife  at  last  appeared  with 
the  resigned  look  on  her  face  which  showed  plainly  some- 
thing had  gone  wrong. 

''  You  may  well  ask,  Charles,"  replied  his  wife.  "  '  One- 
of-Ten  '  (the  cook)  has  left  without  *  by  your  leave,'  and 
the  washer-man  did  not  presume  to  prepare  breakfast 
without  orders  !     They  really  are  queer  !  " 

"  Why  did  '  One-of-Ten  '  want  to  leave  ?  Had  he  been 
unsettled  ?  "  inquired  Dr.  Apricot. 

"  I  had  not  heard  so,"  she  answered  as  she  quickly 
assisted  her  husband  to  coffee.  "  '  Born-old '  (who  was 
the  washer-man)  says  his  grandfather  has  died  suddenly  ; 
he  was  a  native  doctor  and  had  quite  a  large  practice,  and 
'  One-of-Ten  '  was  sent  for  late  last  night  to  go  home  for 
the  funeral.     As  we  were  out  he  went  to  see  what  was 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  '' HEAVEN-BELOW "     117 

really  the  matter.  This  morning  he  has  sent  word  that 
he  has  to  take  up  his  grandfather's  practice  at  once,  so 
will  come  later  for  his  belongings  and  to  say  '  Good-bye.' 
He  has  sent  his  younger  brother  who  has  learnt  cooking 
under  him  the  last  year,  to  see  if  we  will  take  him  on  as 
cook." 

*'  Rather  cool  of  *  One-of-Ten.'  What  a  lot  of  people 
he  will  kill  before  he  has  been  a  doctor  very  long,"  he 
answered,  helping  himself  to  more  toast  and  butter. 

Mrs.  Apricot  continued  smiling.  ''  His  father  thinks 
he  will  be  able  to  keep  the  practice  better  than  his 
brothers,  as  he  has  lived  with  the  great  western  doctor, 
and  '  Born-old  '  says  '  One-of-Ten  '  always  used  to  say  he 
would  like  doctoring  people,  and  that  was  why  he  was 
always  eager  to  gossip  with  the  students  on  every  possible 
occasion  that  he  might  pick  up  knowledge." 

Later  in  the  day  ''  One-of-Ten  "  in  his  new  silk  coat, 
cloth  waistcoat,  and  pea-green  trousers,  with  spectacles 
on  (he had  never  needed  them  before  as  cook!),  came  with 
a  younger  brother  to  take  away  his  personal  belongings. 

He  looked  quite  the  learned  doctor  and  had  the  grace 
to  blush  when  the  doctor  asked  him  if  he  felt  himself 
equal  to  his  profession. 

**  I  have  learnt  much  here,"  he  said,  "  but  I  should  not 
have  left  serving  the  doctor  and  his  lady  now  but  for  the 
command  of  my  father.  With  the  Western  learning 
which  I  have  gained  here  ("  in  puddings  and  cakes " 
thought  the  doctor)  and  with  my  grandfather's  superior 
prescriptions,  which  are  very  old,  as  he  inherited  them 
from  his  grandfather,  and  therefore  they  have  years  beyond 
count  and  are  of  much  value,  I  hope  to  make  a  fortune  in 
time." 

So  *'  One-of-Ten  "  (now  calling  himself  Dr.  Plum) 
bowed  himself  out  of  the  room  and  went  "  below  stairs," 
as  we  should  say  at  home,  but  literally  went  across  to  the 
servants'  quarters,  where  he  was    surprised  to  find  the 


II 8    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW " 

Christian  servants  did  not  make  quite  as  much  of  him  as 
he  did  of  himself. 

"  We  all  have  our  trials  in  this  life,  Gertie,"  the  doctor 
remarked  to  his  wife  in  the  evening,  "  but  cheer  up,  you 
will  hear  of  another  cook  soon." 

"  I  have  heard  of  one,"  she  answered  quickly. 

"  Who  ?  I  hope  the  new-comer  is  a  Christian  ;  I  have 
often  felt  '  One-of-Ten '  was  not  the  best  of  influences  in 
the  kitchen." 

"  So  have  I,"  agreed  his  wife,  "  but  he  professed  him- 
self an  inquirer  when  I  engaged  him,  and  his  name  was 
down  as  such ;  the  native  pastor  told  me  so.  However, 
he  has  gone ;  and  who  do  you  think  has  been  to  see  me 
this  afternoon  ?  " 

**  I  cannot  guess,"  he  replied. 

"  Dear  old  '  Arrived-late '  and  his  wife.  He  left  us  and 
set  up  a  tea-shop  and  has  made  a  nice  little  sum  by  it, 
but  he  longs  to  be  back  with  us  again  and  has  offered  to 
come  at  the  same  wages  he  used  to  have." 

"  What  about  his  wdfe  ?  "  asked  the  doctor. 

"  She  is  so  keen  to  live  here  too,"  replied  Mrs.  Apricot, 
"  and  wants  no  wages,  if  she  may  make  herself  useful,  in 
teaching  and  sewing.  She  could  teach  the  patients  and 
would  be  of  real  use  in  the  sewing  way.  So  I  think  I 
will  take  them.  He  was  an  earnest  Christian  and  has 
been  true  since  he  left  us.  What  do  you  think,  Charles  ?  " 

"  I  really  don't  think  we  could  do  better,"  the  doctor 
replied,  ''so  settle  the  matter  with  them.  We  always 
found  them  both  excellent  servants,  and  they  only  left  us 
and  set  up  the  tea-shop  when  we  went  home  on  furlough, 
so  it  is  not  as  if  there  had  been  any  disagreement  on  either 
their  side  or  ours." 

*'  What  a  comfort  it  will  be  to  have  '  Arrived-late  '  back 
again,"  Mrs.  Apricot  said  with  a  sigh. 

"  Don't  sigh,  wife  ;  tears  come  in  the  morning  and  joy 
at  night ;  the  reverse  order  of  things,  isn't  it  ?  " 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"     119 

*'  Charles,  you  know  I  did  not  cry,"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Apricot,  shaking  her  finger  at  the  doctor  and  laughing  as 
she  left  the  room  to  inquire  if  ''  Arrived-late  "  was  still  on 
the  premises. 

Finding  he  was  waiting  below,  Mrs.  Apricot  soon 
engaged  the  man  as  cook,  and  his  wife  to  be  general  help 
wherever  she  was  wanted,  in  return  for  board  and 
lodging. 

"  It  will  be  great  happiness  to  be  back  with  the  doctor 
and  the  lady,"  the  man  replied.  "  It  was  here  I  learned 
the  doctrine,  and  here  I  feel  my  home  ;  I  trust  future  time 
give  the  lady  heart-rest  "  (satisfaction). 

A  few  weeks  later  the  doctor  had  a  letter  from  a  fellow 
medical  missionary  some  distance  away  saying  he  wanted 
a  useful  boy  for  dispensary  work,  washing  bottles, 
sweeping,  and  other  similar  duties.  Could  Dr.  Apricot 
recommend  him  one  from  "  Heaven-Below  ?  "  *' You  will 
be  amused,"  continued  the  letter,  "to  hear  my  bottle- 
washer,  who  was  only  with  us  three  weeks,  has  left  us  to 
become  a  druggist  !  and  has  opened  a  shop.  The  boy 
came  into  a  little  money  (a  few  dollars)  and  thought  he 
would  like  to  be  a  doctor,  but  as  he  was  put  to  the  bottom 
of  the  ladder  to  subdue  his  proud  spirit  and  so  prepare  his 
mind  to  receive  instruction,  he  took  umbrage  at  being  told 
to  bring  pipes  for  some  Chinese  gentlemen  who  had  to 
wait  until  I  could  see  them,  as  I  was  in  the  middle  of  an 
operation  when  they  arrived. 

"  I  need  hardly  say  he  is  no  loss.  But  we  see  he  has 
opened  a  new  and  gaily  painted  shop  and  stocked  it  with 
the  old  stock  of  a  druggist  who  has  made  enough  to  retire 
on  !  We  all  feel  sorry  for  his  patients,  for  the  lad  has 
absolutely  no  knowledge  of  drugs.  But  he  tells  us  he  is 
sure  to  do  well  and  make  a  lot  of  money,  for  all  drugs 
have  to  be  paid  for  beforehand,  and  he  will  have  a  good 
trade  in  opium. 

"  There  really  ought  to  be  some  legislation  to  prevent 


I20     DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  '•  HEAVEN-BELOW" 

unqualified  doctors  and  druggists  being  able  to  set  up  as 
they  do." 

Also  another  difficulty  met  with  by  European  doctors  is 
the  general  ignorance  of  the  patients  themselves. 

Dr.  Apricot  on  one  occasion  found  a  patient  whose 
condition  though  not  very  alarming  ought  to  have  yielded 
to  the  medicine  he  had  given.  The  bad  cough  was 
certainly  no  better,  though  his  breath  was  considerably 
sweeter,  as  he  noticed  directly  the  man  sat  down  opposite 
to  him. 

"Well,"  began  the  doctor,  "so  your  cough  is  no 
better  ?  " 

"  No,  doctor,"  replied  the  old  man,  coughing  and 
expectorating  to  show  how  bad  it  still  was. 

"  Did  you  take  the  medicine  as  I  told  you  ?  "  inquired 
the  doctor. 

"  That  was  so,"  again  replied  the  patient. 

"  Tell  me,"  said  the  doctor  looking  up  his  notebook  to 
see  what  he  had  prescribed  and  the  directions  he  had 
given,  "  how  did  I  tell  you  to  take  the  medicine  ?" 

"  Yes,  doctor,"  answered  the  old  man.  "  I  ate  the  fat, 
it  was  not  sufficiently  strong,  I  think,  and  I  rubbed  my 
knee  with  the  lotion,  but  it  did  not  raise  any  blister,  nor 
even  make  my  leg  warm  !  " 

"  Oh, '  Seen- Goodness  '  (the  man's  name),  you  may  well 
not  be  better !  I  gave  you  the  sulphur  ointment  for  your  leg 
and  the  medicine  for  your  cough!  "  exclaimed  the  doctor. 

Fresh  instructions  and  fresh  medicine  and  "  Seen- 
Goodness"  departed  to  let  in  another  patient. 

"  Well,  '  Morning-Glory,'  how  are  you  ?  Any  better 
to-day  ?  "  inquired  the  doctor  once  more. 

"  Nearly  recovered,"  replied  the  man,  smiling.  "  I 
took  the  pills,  all  but  one,  which  my  wife  stole  and  ate 
for  her  pains  in  her  back,  so  I  ate  the  paper  they  had  been 
wrapped  in  ;  some  of  the  goodness  had  no  doubt  lodged 
in  the  paper  and  I  am  much  better!" 


DOCTOR  APRfCOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "     121 

The  doctor  fairly  groaned,  but  ordered  fresh  medicine 
to  be  put  in  a  bottle  this  time  and  gave  yet  clearer 
instructions  to  the  man  "  not  to  swallow  the  bottle,  or 
give  the  medicine  to  his  wife." 

The  next  patient  came  in  and  began  taking  off  her 
coverings,  and  the  doctor  turned  to  see,  as  he  expected, 
the  horrible  ulcer  he  had  treated  a  week  ago. 

*'  What  is  this  ?  "  he  asked,  pointing  to  a  huge  black 
plaster,  which  looked  as  if  it  had  been  put  on  with  a 
mason's  trowel.  "  You  have  not  poulticed  it  as  I  told 
you." 

**  Oh,  yes,  poultice  on  now,  native  doctor  order  plaster, 
so  put  that  on  too!  " 

The  doctor  sent  the  woman  to  the  dispensary  to  have 
it  taken  off,  and  when  it  did  at  last  yield  to  pressure  and 
came  away,  the  odour  from  the  wound  cleared  the 
dispensary  quicker  than  Yamen  runners  could  have  done, 
and  only  the  dressers  and  the  woman  were  left ;  but  who 
could  stand  a  smell  like  that  and  the  temperature  nearly 
100  degrees  in  the  shade. 

To  dispel  ignorance  and  superstitious  practices  such  as 
have  been  referred  to,  and  also  other  practices  even  worse 
(as  the  sacrificing  to  idols,  consulting  astrologers,  fortune- 
tellers, and  witches),  only  the  training  and  educating  of 
native  students  to  be  fully  qualified  medical  men  in  large 
numbers  will  ever  avail.  European  doctors  will  never 
go  out  in  any  adequate  numbers  to  China  on  their  own 
account  as  practising  physicians  and  surgeons,  or  under 
the  various  Missionary  Societies  as  Medical  Missionaries 
to  minister  to  the  teeming  millions  of  Chinese. 

The  demand  for  Western  doctoring  is  far  too  great 
for  the  few  European  or  American  doctors  ever  to  supply, 
and  if  the  Medical  Missionaries  do  not  continue  to  train 
even  larger  numbers  than  they  have  ever  yet  trained,  the 
population  will  have  to  continue  to  suffer  the  torture  and 
malpractices  of  the  native  doctors  as  they  do  now* 


122     DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

The  training  of  medical  students  has  been,  so  far,  very 
uphill  work ;  doctors  have  had  to  translate  their  text 
books  into  Chinese  as  they  have  wanted  them,  and 
prepare  their  lectures  in  English  and  translate  them  into 
Chinese  before  giving  them. 

About  one  hundred  students  have  been  trained  at  the 
Medical  College  in  connection  with  the  Hospital  of 
Universal  Benevolence,  and  their  success  has  more  than 
repaid  Dr.  Apricot  for  the  trouble  and  expense  of 
educating  them. 

To  be  able  to  take  in  fresh  students  every  year  the 
teaching  staff  of  the  Medical  College  should  be  increased 
to  six.  Up  to  the  time  of  writing  this  story  the  teaching 
staff  has  only  numbered  two,  and  because  of  this  students 
have  only  been  able  to  enter  every  five  years. 

If  the  European  staff  of  teachers  could  be  augmented 
to  six  there  would,  after  the  fifth  year,  be  some  graduating 
every  year,  and  also  their  places,  as  they  pass  out,  could 
be  filled  by  new  students  beginning  their  first  year's 
course. 

The  first  three  batches  of  students  were  all  Christians, 
but  the  demand  for  Western  medical  training  has  been 
so  great  since  the  Boxer  troubles  that  a  few  heathen 
students  have  been  admitted  for  training. 

The  fees  paid  by  these  students  more  than  pay  all  their 
expenses,  and  help  towards  paying  the  native  staff. 

If  this  little  book  falls  into  the  hands  of  any  medical 
man  who  for  Christ's  sake  will  go  forth  and  help  in  this 
noble  work  in  the  city  of  "  Heaven-Below  "  he  will  be 
heartily  welcomed. 

The  work  waits  to  be  done,  and  the  time  passes.  When 
China  has  found  her  feet  and  feels  herself  equal  to  the 
nations  of  the  West,  those  who  by  their  teaching  and 
preaching,  by  their  working  and  praying,  by  their  lives 
lived  for  her  as  well  as  by  their  lives  laid  down  for  her, 
will  rejoice  if  she  comes  forth  from  her  long  sleep  to  take 


DOCTOR  APRrCOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "     123 

her  place  among  the  nations  of  the  world,  not  as  a 
civilised  power  only,  but  as  a  power  for  Christ. 

Among  the  men  who  have  been  trained  by  Dr.  Apricot 
more  than  one  has  died,  one  or  two  have  been  led  away 
from  the  Mission  by  the  desire  to  accumulate  fortunes  as 
speedily  as  possible,  but  the  rest  of  the  Christian  students 
are  all  working  directly  or  indirectly  in  the  Mission,  if 
not  actually  in  the  hospital  or  its  branch  establishments. 

More  than  once  some  of  these  Christian  young  fellows, 
since  their  training,  have  been  offered  salaries  double 
that  which  they  receive  in  connection  with  their  Alma 
Mater  ;  but  they  have  resisted  the  temptation  and  are 
still  working  for  God  and  their  fellow-men  in  the  Medical 
Mission  and  doing  good  work,  spiritual  as  well  as 
medical. 

When  the  last  set  of  students — the  fourth  set  which 
had  graduated  during  the  last  twenty-five  years — received 
their  diplomas ;  the  hall  was  beautifully  decorated  for 
the  occasion  with  flowers  and  flags,  English,  Chinese, 
American,  and  Japanese.  The  English,  American,  and 
Japanese  Consuls  were  present ;  also  the  head  of  the 
Customs,  the  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Foreign  Affairs, 
the  Prefect  of  "  Heaven-Below,"  the  Director  of  the 
Native  Military  School,  the  Interpreter,  the  District 
Magistrate,  and  all  the  distinguished  Mandarins  of  the 
city  and  the  Headmasters  of  the  different  Colleges,  both 
foreign  and  Chinese. 

The  proceedings  were  opened  with  an  address  by  the 
Chairman,  Dr.  Apricot,  and  the  singing  of  a  hymn 
written  by  one  of  the  students  themselves.  Then  the 
head  of  the  native  staff  at  the  hospital.  Dr.  Liu 
(who  was  the  first  student  trained  in  connection  with 
the  hospital  and  who  has  since  done  most  excellent 
work),  read  the  report  of  the  examinations,  gave  some 
account  of  the  course  of  work  the  students  had  been 
through,  and  finally  called  the  roll  in   order   of  merit. 


124    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

The  students  who  had  passed,  seven  in  number,  then 
stepped  forward  as  their  names  were  read  out,  wearing 
ofBcial  dress,  and  looking  very  proud  and  happy  on 
account  of  their  success. 

Dr.  Apricot  himself  presented  the  diplomas,  which 
were  printed  on  white  parchment  in  large  type  in  both 
English  and  Chinese. 

The  Official  Director  of  the  Bureau,  representing  the 
Government  of  the  Province,  then  gave  an  excellent 
address  to  the  students,  hoping  they  would  keep  up 
their  studies  and  never  let  their  knowledge  pass  from  their 
minds,  but  endeavour  to  rise  higher  and  higher  in  their 
profession.  He  wished  them  all  success  in  their  future  work 
and  trusted  they  would  be  very  useful  in  healing  the  sick. 

The  English  Consul  then  congratulated  them  upon 
their  success,  and  also  congratulated  Dr.  Apricot  upon 
his  efforts  which  had  been  so  strenuously  carried  out  for 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  the  monument  of  which 
was  not  in  the  accumulated  lands  or  numerous  institu- 
tions which  they  could  see  any  day  they  chose  to  look, 
but  was  built  in  the  lives  and  hearts  of  the  thousands  of 
citizens  of  "  Heaven-Below. 

The  Bishop  of  the  Diocese  having  said  a  few  words  and 
closed  the  meeting  with  prayer,  the  whole  assembly  then 
passed  out  into  the  pretty  gardens  of  the  hospital  and 
made  their  way  into  the  doctor's  house  where,  in  the 
drawing-room  and  on  the  wide  verandahs,  tea  was  served 
by  Mrs.  Apricot  to  the  officials,  missionaries,  and  other 
friends  who  had  been  present. 

After  tea  many  friends  looked  through  the  men's  and 
women's  hospitals,  the  refuges  for  lepers,  the  children's 
home,  and  the  other  institutions  which  have  not  yet  been 
described. 

Some  went  up  to  the  West  Lake  to  see  the  last  new 
buildings  and  the  patients,  who,  to  their  own  astonish- 
ment, were  recovering  there  without  medicine. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  " HEAVEN-BELOW "     125 

These  buildings  were  the  Fresh-air  Home  and  the 
Convalescent  Home. 

Vast  numbers  of  patients  came  annually  for  treatment 
who  were  victims  of  consumption  ;  in  some  cases  inherited, 
but  in  hundreds  of  cases  through  lack  of  sanitation,  good 
food  and  fresh  air.  If  these  cases  were  put  into  the 
General  Hospital  they  took  up  the  beds,  and  acute  cases 
who  were  needing  immediate  attention  had  to  be  refused. 

This  then  was  the  solution  of  Dr.  Apricot ;  not,  at  that 
time  to  enlarge  the  General  Hospital,  but  to  provide  a 
separate  building  where  fresh  air,  cleanliness,  and  good 
food  should  be  the  order  of  the  day. 

So  three  miles  away  on  the  beautiful  West  Lake, 
which  is  on  three  sides  enclosed  by  hills,  while  on  the 
remaining  side  the  land  slopes  away  across  the  rice  fields 
to  the  city  of  "  Heaven-Below,"  the  doctor  built  a  Fresh 
Air  Home  and  a  Convalescent  Home.  Higher  up  the 
hills  he  had  years  ago  built  the  Missionaries'  Sanatorium, 
and  beside  the  lake  the  Men's  Leper  Refuge,  which  has 
been  referred  to  before  in  these  pages. 

A  curious  looking  Pagoda  overlooks  the  Lake  from  the 
hill  on  one  side,  and  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Lake  there 
is  another  and  even  older  looking  building. 

As  a  rule  the  Chinese  have  always  been  very  jealous  of 
foreigners  building  near  pagodas,  lest  the  sun  should 
cause  a  shadow  to  be  cast  from  the  erection  across  their 
pagoda,  and  thus  injure  the  good  luck  and  prosperity  of 
the  city,  over  which  the  pagodas  are  supposed  to  keep 
guard. 

The  land  on  which  stood  the  pagoda  and  all  the  "  Merciful 
Hostels "  erected  by  Dr.  Apricot  was  given  him  in 
exchange  by  the  Mandarins  of  "Heaven-Below"  for 
another  piece  of  land  which  after  the  deed  was  signed 
and  the  money  paid  down  turned  out  to  be  the  supposed 
"  Royal  Pathway  of  the  Red  Dragon."  Superstition, 
though  melting,  does  not  yet  in  **  Heaven-Below  "  allow 


126    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  ^'HEAVEN-BELOW" 

foreigners,    however  much    appreciated  and  beloved,   to 
build  right  in  the  way  of  this  all  tormenting  power. 

So  although  the  yielding  had  to  be  shown  in  a  dignified 
and  fitting  spirit,  the  exchanged  place  was  in  fact  more 
beautifully  situated  and  more  conveniently  near  the 
doctor's  other  work  than  the  Royal  Pathway  would  have 
been.  Thus  all  parties  were  pleased  and  contented,  and 
Dr.  Apricot  and  the  Mission  in  whose  name  he  holds  all 
these  buildings,  are,  it  is  believed,  the  only  foreign  land- 
lords of  a  pagoda  known  in  China. 

This  then  was  the  situation  of  these  new  buildings. 
The  patients  were  able  to  live  in  the  open  air, 
surrounded  with  beautiful  scenery,  the  hills  being  covered 
with  red  azaleas  and  huge  white  dog  roses  in  the  spring, 
and  other  flowers  in  the  autumn,  beside  the  glorious  red 
and  gold  of  autumn  leafage. 

The  patients  when  they  were  well  enough  could  row,  or 
be  rowed,  on  the  lovely  lake  and  help  to  keep  the  larder 
supplied  with  really  wholesome  fresh  fish  when  their 
inclinations  led  them  that  way. 

Their  astonishment,  however,  at  the  Fresh  Air  Treat- 
ment is  better  imagined  than  described,  knowing  as  we 
do  their  innate  desire  to  shut  out  all  air  when  they 
feel  ill,  except  indeed  the  foul  close  air  of  their 
own  small  rooms,  which  they  shut  in  as  carefully  as 
they  can. 

The  following  conversation  will,  however,  give  a  slight 
impression  of  their  surprise. 

"  Do  not  refuse  me  admittance  to  your  honourable 
hospital,  I  have  the  $2  for  my  food,"  said  a  tuberculosis 
patient  one  morning. 

"  I  fear  we  cannot  take  you  in  here — but  I  will  send 
you  to  the  Fresh  Air  Home  at  West  Lake,"  said  the  doctor, 
smiling. 

**  May  I  have  some  medicine  ?  "  said  the  patient. 

"  I  think  not ;  the  treatment  is  not  physic  as  you  mean 


DOCTOR  APRrCOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"     127 

it,"  said  the  doctor.     "  Go  up  to  the  Fresh  Air  Home  and 
present  this  card  and  I  will  see  you  there." 

The  patient  unbelievingly  still  pleaded  "  But,  no 
medicine,  no  better." 

"  Fresh  air  and  good  food  is  number  one  good  medicine 
for  you,"  replied  the  doctor.  "  If  I  find  you  do  not  get 
better  I  will  give  you  some  medicine." 

A  few  days  later  the  doctor  rode  over  to  see  his 
unbelieving  patient. 

*'  How  is  your  body  ?  "  inquired  the  doctor  cheerily. 

"  Oh !  great  gladness  to  see  the  beloved  doctor," 
bemoaned  the  patient. 

*'  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  inquired  the  doctor. 

"  Here  so  many  winds,  so  much  air,  so  much  washing 
of  the  body,  so  much  eating,  body  so  sad  ;  no  medicine, 
no  plaster  for  my  chest.  I  think  hospital  in  "  Heaven- 
Below  "  much  more  better  !  " 

The  doctor  sat  down,  felt  the  patient's  pulse,  looked  at 
her  tongue,  took  her  to  the  weighing  machine,  found  that 
in  three  days  only  she  had  gained  two  pounds  in  weight, 
and  then  set  himself  to  cheer  her  up-  He  finally  per- 
suaded her  to  remain  another  week. 

Long  before  the  end  of  the  month  the  patient  was 
decidedly  stronger,  and  begging  to  be  kept  another 
month. 

The  patients  quite  understand  that  they  must  pay  for 
the  treatment,  or,  if  very  poor,  that  it  must  be  paid  for  by 
some  one  on  their  behalf. 

The  cost  of  full  "  stuffing  "  treatment  is  §15  a  month, 
and  $5  a  month  for  ordinary  diet. 

To  make  this  expensive  establishment  pay  Dr.  Apricot 
advertises  that  he  is  willing  to  take  patients  from  a  dis- 
tance if  properly  recommended  by  those  who  will 
guarantee  their  expenses. 

The  surprise  and  delight  of  their  friends  when  the 
patients   return   home,   having   added  many  pounds   to 


128    DOCTOR  APHrCOT   OF  ^'HEAVEN-BELOW" 

their  weight  and  so  much  colour  to  their  cheeks  that  the 
rouge  pot  is  no  longer  needed,  is  excessive,  while  they 
exclaim  "  No  medicine  !  Only  the  fresh  air  !  and  many 
feasts  every  day  !  Truly  these  Western  doctors  are  very 
clever,  to  cure  people  in  this  fashion." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

GIVES  SOME  INFORMATION  CONCERNING  THE  CHINESE 
OPIUM  REFORM,  AND  SHEWS  THE  CONNECTING  LINK 
BETWEEN  IT  AND  THE  AFFECTIONATE  FAREWELL 
ACCORDED  TO  DR.  AND  MRS.  APRICOT  ON  THEIR 
RETURN  HOME  FOR  THEIR  THIRD  FURLOUGH.  IT 
ALSO   SHEWS   THE   TREE    FULLY   GROWN. 

THE  first  chapter  in  this  story  of  Medical  Mission 
work  told  of  the  arrival  of  Dr.  Apricot  to  take 
charge  of  the  Opium  Refuge  in  the  city  of 
**  Heaven-Below."  He  had  never  lost  sight  of  this 
branch  of  his  work,  in  spite  of  his  many  other  efforts  in 
various  directions. 

One  might  say  that  no  day  had  passed,  when  the  presence 
of  the  victims  of  this  drug  in  the  Opium  Refuge  did  not 
serve  as  a  protest  against  the  opium  smoking  habit,  not 
only  to  the  poor  victims  themselves,  but  to  hundreds  of 
others  ;  the  patients  in  the  hospital,  and  their  friends 
who  visited  them  ;  the  out-patients  who  heard  about  the 
Refuge  and  talked  of  it  to  their  friends  and  neighbours  ; 
the  tradespeople  who  had  much  coming  and  going  where 
so  large  an  establishment  had  to  be  kept  up ;  the  visitors 
of  the  more  wealthy  classes,  who  called  "  to  see  "  the 
hospital,  and  no  less  to  the  hundreds  of  daily  passers-by 
who  read  the  notice  boards  at  the  hospital  entrance  of 
the  humane  efforts  which  were  made  within  to  cure 
opium  victims. 

The    old    proverb,    "  Continual    droppings  wear   the 


130     DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

hardest  stone  "  is  true  of  the  united  efforts  of  Missionaries 
of  all  denominations  working  in  China,  who  by  their  speak- 
ing and  writing  upon  the  opium  curse,  have  had  a  large 
share  in  raising  public  opinion  with  regard  to  the  matter. 
Nor  can  one  fail  to  acknowledge  the  effect  of  the  Anti- 
Opium  Meetings  of  protest  which  have  been  held  in 
London  and  elsewhere,  to  enlighten  the  home  people 
concerning  the  growing  evil  of  this  habit  upon  the  life 
and  character  of  the  Chinese  people. 

Chinese  statesmen  have  been  also  awakened  to  see  that 
definite  efforts  must  be  made  to  rid  their  country  of  this 
enthralling  vice,  and  after  much  correspondence  with  the 
English  Government  an  understanding  was  arrived  at,  by 
which  England  agreed,  that  if  the  Chinese  Government 
reduced  the  consumption  of  native  opium  by  a  certain 
amount  each  year,  they  on  their  part  would  reduce  the 
export  of  Opium  from  India  by  a  similar  amount. 

It  remains  to  be  seen  how  far  this  contract  has  been 
carried  out  on  both  sides. 

One  thing  is  very  evident,  viz.,  that  during  the  past 
four  or  five  years  the  Officials  in  China  have  been  making 
strenuous  efforts  to  put  down  this  evil. 

In  "  Heaven-Below  "  Dr.  Apricot  had  treated  people  of 
all  grades  of  society  for  this  habit,  and  his  work  in  this 
direction  was  recognised  by  all  who  heard  of  it. 

But  when  the  Government  influence  was  set  in  the 
same  direction,  then  more  prominent  countenance  was 
given  to  his  work  of  redemption  in  this  particular  line. 

In  July,  1907,  by  order  of  the  City  Authorities  all 
opium  dens  in  the  City  of  "  Heaven-Below  "  were  closed. 
And  in  the  increasing  number  of  patients  who  came  to 
be  treated,  the  hospital  staff  recognised  that  energetic 
reform  was  setting  in. 

So  great  were  the  numbers  of  applicants,  that  all  could 
not  be  received,  and  Dr.  Apricot  and  Dr.  Fairfield  opened 
another  Refuge  temporarily  to  meet  the  need. 


New  China,     A  Patient  and  Friend. 


DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW  "     131 

In  the  Autumn  of  the  year  a  great  civic  function  was 
held  on  Heaven's  Peak  when  all  the  opium  pipes,  opium 
trays,  and  other  paraphernalia  connected  with  the  smoking 
of  opium,  which  had  been  cleared  out  of  the  dens  which 
had  been  closed,  were  brought  to  the  top  of  the  Peak  to  be 
burned.  A  huge  bon-fire  was  made  of  them  in  the  presence 
of  Mandarins,  soldiers,  students,  and  thousands  of  the 
populace.  The  pile  had  been  well  soaked  with  paraffin 
oil  before  it  was  set  on  fire,  and  as  the  flames  leaped 
Heaven-ward,  shouts  of  rejoicing  went  up  from  the  crowd. 

Speeches  were  made  by  the  Officials,  and  some  of  the 
native  clergy  and  medical  staff  were  also  called  upon  to 
give  their  opinion  of  the  habit  and  to  tell  of  the  successful 
efforts  which  had  been  made  in  the  Opium  Refuge  to  save 
the  victims  from  their  besetting  vice. 

Some  six  or  seven  thousand  pipes  were  destroyed  that 
afternoon,  but  that  does  not  represent  anything  like  the 
number  of  smokers;  probably  not  less  than  50,000  people 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  using  those  same  pipes  in  the 
now  closed  opium  dens. 

The  people  who  had  hitherto  tried  to  evade  meeting 
the  European  doctors,  less  they  should  try  and  influence 
them  to  abstain  from  using  the  drug,  now  in  daily  greater 
numbers  crowded  about  them  begging  to  be  cured,  and 
acknowledging  that  their  efforts  had  much  helped  to 
educate  the  people  and  make  them  willing  to  aid  in  the 
wholesale  reform  which  was  taking  place. 

One  man  begged  "  to  be  allowed  to  be  cured." 

"  Certainly  we  shall  be  much  pleased  to  help  you  ;  it 
will  be  hard  work,  but  if  you  are  determined  you  will 
conquer,"  said  Dr.  Apricot. 

"  All  the  city,"  replied  the  man,  "  knows  the  goodness 
of  the  honourable  great  Western  doctor  and  that  for 
years  added  to  years  he  has  been  curing  the  willing  ones, 
but  now  the  unwilling  must  also  be  cured  or  die.  The 
doctor's  work  will  now  be  greater  very  much." 


132     DOCTOR  APUrCOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

A  good  many  Tartars  applied  amongst  others  for 
admittance  into  the  Refuge.  The  Tartar  General  took 
up  the  Reform  vigorously,  and  about  thirty  men  were  sent 
as  a  first  instalment  of  those  found  guilty  of  the  practice 
of  opium  smoking.  There  were  others,  to  the  number  of 
about  150,  to  come  by  future  instalments. 

The  preaching  of  Jesus  and  of  His  power  to  save  went 
on  in  each  ward  and  all  had  the  Gospel  lovingly  presented 
to  them. 

Some  were  more  willing  to  hear  the  preaching  than 
others,  and  those  who  received  the  word  of  truth,  by 
the  Almighty  help  of  the  Almighty  God  gained  the 
victory. 

The  time  was  now  drawing  near  when  Dr.  Apricot  and 
his  wife  were  to  go  home  on  their  furlough. 

The  doctor  was  not  leaving  his  work  without  consider- 
able anxiety.  It  was  true  he  was  fortunate  in  having 
Dr.  Fairfield  and  Dr.  Baytree  to  carry  on  the  work,  who 
would  have  the  valuable  help  of  tried  and  trusted  native 
doctors,  as  well  as  the  assistance  of  a  European  chemist, 
Mr.  Meadows,  and  a  trained  nurse,  Miss  Do-well,  who  had 
both  worked  faithfully  for  some  years  ;  but  the  matter  of 
the  buildings,  their  repair  and  enlargement,  and  the  pro- 
viding of  further  accommodation  for  the  ever  growing 
work  pressed  heavily  upon  his  heart  and  mind. 

The  number  of  students  applying  for  Western  Medical 
training  was  far  greater  than  could  be  admitted  to  the 
Medical  School,  which  was  very  small  and  not  convenient 
for  the  work  in  any  way,  and  a  new  Medical  School  was 
needed  in  which  forty  or  fifty  students  might  be 
concurrently  trained,  who  when  fully  qualified  could  be 
planted  out  in  country  towns  and  villages,  with  a  mission 
dispensary  to  superintend. 

A  new  doctor's  house  was  also  needed  in  the  compound 
to  accommodate  the  addition  to  the  staff  who  had  arrived 
in  the  person  of  Dr.  Baytree. 


Dr.   Liu,  Wife  and  Child, 


To  fare  p.  m. 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW "     133 

A  new  Infection  Hospital  was  also  needed,  properly 
fitted,  for  the  reception  of  infectious  cases  to  prevent  the 
sad  occurrence  of  the  previous  outbreaks  of  scarlet  fever, 
when  several  patients  in  the  surgical  and  medical  wards 
were  infected  and  died  in  consequence  of  the  first  case 
being  in  a  ward  which  was  not  isolated. 

So  the  return  of  Dr.  Apricot  to  his  own  country  for 
furlough  was  a  very  qualified  pleasure,  weighted  as  it  was 
with  the  burden  of  all  these  needs. 

Still,  he  believed  and  trusted  that  friends  in  the  home- 
land would  rise  to  the  emergency  and  help  China  in  this 
the  mid-day  of  her  opportunity. 

When  the  natives  heard  of  Dr.  Apricot's  approaching 
departure,  they  came  in  crowds  day  after  day,  bringing 
presents  of  all  kinds  as  tokens  of  their  gratitude  to  one 
who  had  for  nearly  thirty  years  proved  himself  friend, 
adviser,  teacher,  doctor  and  benefactor  to  one  and  all  who 
had  sought  his  help.  Nor  was  his  wife  forgotten  in  the 
numerous  gifts  which  were  presented,  for  she  was  equally 
beloved  for  all  her  tender  ministrations. 

A  largely  attended  prayer  meeting  was  held,  in  which 
both  Native  Christians  and  European  Missionaries  took 
part,  commending  Dr.  Apricot  and  his  wife  to  God's 
Almighty  care  and  protection  during  the  twelve  months 
of  separation. 

Then  Dr.  Fairfield  dropped  in  on  the  Friday  before 
they  were  to  start. 

''  I  have  come,"  he  said,  "  to  tell  you  there  is  to  be  a 
great  farewell  meeting  to-morrow  night  in  the  Lecture 
Hall.  The  natives  have  planned  it  all  and  the  head 
doctor  of  the  native  Staff  is  arranging  everything.  You 
must  not  go  near  the  Lecture  Hall,  which  is  being  most 
beautifully  decorated  for  the  occasion." 

"  How  kind  of  them,"  said  both  the  doctor  and  his 
wife,  at  once. 

"  It  will  be  a  great  effort  and  they  are  trying  to  make  it 


134    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW " 

worthy  of  you,"  said  Dr.  Fairfield,  ''  the  Head  says  there 
are  to  be  speeches  and  music,  and  a  special  acclamation 
of  thanks,  and  I  cannot  tell  you  what — the  students  are 
full  of  excitement." 

"  We  were  just  talking  of  you  and  saying  you  will  not 
feel  so  lonely  this  time,  having  your  wife  and  Dr.  Baytree 
who  will  be  here  while  he  learns  the  language,"  said 
Mrs.  Apricot. 

"  The  work  is  really  beyond  the  oversight  of  two 
doctors  now,  even  with  efficient  native  help,"  said  Dr. 
Fairfield,"  but  I  shall  be  truly  thankful  to  see  you  both  back 
The  place  is  not  the  same  when  you  are  both  away." 

"  Well  I  can  only  say  one  thing,  keep  cheerful  and 
keep  others  cheerful,  and  then  the  work  will  go  on 
smoothly,"  said  Dr.  Apricot.  "  Pray  hard  and  keep  be- 
lieving," he  added,  shaking  Dr.  Fairfield  by  the  hand. 

The  Farewell  Meeting  was  well  carried  out ;  abundant 
testimony  was  borne  by  all  to  the  work  of  Dr.  Apricot, 
and  many  touching  references  were  made  to  him  and 
Mrs.  Apricot.  He  could  hardly  speak  when  called  upon 
to  do  so,  but  after  a  few  moments  his  voice  grew  steady 
and  he  gave  them  a  farewell  address,  commending  all  in 
prayer  to  God  at  the  close. 

The  Sunday  Services  were  felt  by  all  in  the  Mission  to 
be  of  the  nature  of  a  farewell.  As  many  as  possible 
gathered  together  around  the  Table  of  the  Lord  in 
sweet  fellowship  with  Him  and  with  one  another. 

The  following  day  a  huge  procession  escorted  the 
doctor  and  his  wife  to  the  railway  station.  The  students 
headed  the  procession  with  flags  specially  prepared  for 
the  day. 

Then  followed  hundreds  of  grateful  patients ;  then  the 
ladies'  chairs ;  then  Mrs.  Apricot  and  her  native  helper 
(whom  she  was  taking  with  her  to  England  to  study  for 
the  L.O.S.  degree  in  that  country). 

Following   them  came  the   Maternity  students ;    then 


To  face  >'•  1-3.J 


DOCTOR   APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW"     135 

more  flags  and  men  from  the  Lake-side  Homes ;  then 
came  Dr.  Apricot;  Dr.  Liu,  his  head  native  doctor  and 
friend ;  Dr.  Fairfield,  and  Dr.  Baytree ;  followed  by 
numbers  of  gentry,  officials,  and  more  friends  and  admirers 
— a  long  and  imposing  procession  from  the  hospital  to  the 
train,  which  took  them  to  the  water  side,  where  a  special 
tug  was  waiting  to  convey  the  party  to  the  steamer  en 
route  to  Shanghai.  Before  they  entered  the  house-boat 
many  more  officials  joined  them.  The  Consuls  also, 
and  many  Missionaries,  and  European  friends  in  large 
numbers,  arrived  to  give  them  a  good  send-off,  a  worthy 
close  to  another  happy  and  successful  term  of  work. 

"  Don't  forget  the  building  fund  and  the  repairs  where- 
ever  you  go,  doctor,"  said  Dr.  Fairfield,  as  he  shook  the 
doctor's  hand.  "  The  Lord  prosper  you  in  all  your 
undertaking,  may  the  hand  of  the  Lord  be  upon  you  for 
good." 

The  steamer  whistled  and  they  were  off. 

At  Shanghai  the  native  doctor  was  most  attentive,  look- 
ing after  everything  and  never  leaving  them  until  the  boat 
was  just  about  to  start,  when  he  said,  "  May  the  blessing 
of  God  protect  you  both  !  May  He  prosper  you  and 
bless  you  and  bring  you  home  to  us  your  children  in 
peace." 

In  the  foregoing  pages  we  have  traced  the  history  of 
the  Medical  Mission  in  "  Heaven-Below  "  which  had  its 
rise  about  fifty  years  ago  in  the  establishment  of  an 
Opium  Refuge,  which  was  as  a  grain  of  m  ustard  seed  sown 
by  one  convinced  of  a  great  evil,  and  determined  to  do 
what  he  could  to  remedy  its  effects.  That  seed  has 
produced,  in  the  numerous  and  varied  institutions  now 
to  be  found  in  connection  with  the  medical  work  in 
"  Heaven-Below,"  a  great  tree  whose  leaves  are  for  the 
heahng  of  the  Chinese  nation. 


APPENDIX 

REPORT   OF   THE    HANGCHOW    MEDICAL 

MISSION. 

Staff:— 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  Main. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Kember. 
Dr.  L.  C.  p.  Beatty. 
Mr.  Morgan. 
Miss  Morris. 

TO  give   some   idea  of  what  goes  on  and  how  it  is 
accomplished,  may  we  first  mention  the  different 
branches   of  work   connected    with     the    Mission 
hospital  which  was  erected  in  1884. 

First  of  all  there  is  the  mm'^  hospital  with  over  100  beds, 
including  emergency  and  infectious  wards  ;  the  latter  being 
separated  from  the  main  building.  There  is  a  dispensary , 
consulting  rooms  and  surgery  for  out-patients,  and  wait- 
ing-hall, in  which  the  patients  assemble  to  hear  the 
Gospel  which  is  being  proclaimed  by  evangelist  and 
Bible-woman  while  they  wait  for  consultation.  At  the 
entrance  of  the  compound  there  is  a  Registrar's  Office, 
where  patients  are  registered,  fees  paid,  and  all  business 
connected  with  **  middlemen,"  etc.,  is  transacted;  and  for 
convenience  there  is  also  here  a  medicine  shop  and  book 
store.  Next  comes  the  opium  refuge  which  has  been 
turned  into  a  medical  college  and  hostel  to  meet  the  largely 
increased    applications    from    students    to     be     taught 

136 


APPENDIX 


137 


Western  medicine.  At  present  there  are  sixty  students, 
Christian  and  non-Christian,  in  training,  and  a  house 
master  and  one  of  the  five  native  teachers  hve  with  them  ; 
the  headmaster  residing  at  hand.  To  meet  the  rush  of 
opium  smokers  wanting  to  be  cured,  caused  by  the 
Imperial  Edict  ordering  all  opium-dens  to  be  closed, 
another  refuge  was  temporarily  erected  and  for  some  time 
fully  occupied.  The  women's  hospital  has  accommodation 
for  sixty  patients  and  rooms  for  assistants,  pupils  and 
nurses,  etc.  From  time  to  time  extra  wards  have  been 
added  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  work.  A  maternity  hospital 
and  training  school ;  the  former  has  beds  for  ten  patients 
and  the  latter  has  had  over  twenty-five  pupils  in  residence, 
besides  matron  and  servants.  To  complete  the  list  we 
must  still  mention  the  refuge  for  leper  women  with  at 
present  three  inmates  and  a  caretaker  ;  also  a  home  for 
the  untainted  children  of  lepers,  which  has  enlarged  its 
usefulness  by  adding  to  these  children  others  who  have 
needed  help  and  protection  from  time  to  time,  and  who 
now  number  thirteen  all  told.  This  outline  gives  our 
readers  some  idea  of  the  work  to  be  superintended  inside  of 
the  city.  But  at  the  West  Lake  there  is  the  leper  refuge 
for  men,  with  at  present  forty  inmates,  and  convalescent 
and  fresh  air  homes  for  men  and  women,  occupied  fully 
in  the  summer  months. 

With  this  preliminary  sketch  of  the  nature  and  use  of 
the  various  departments  of  work,  we  will  now  try  and 
describe  as  briefly  as  possible  the  way  in  which  the  work 
has  to  be  "  got  through." 

The  "  work-day  "  is  commenced  by  a  service  at  8.30 
a.m.  in  the  chapel  (this  does  not  mean,  however,  that 
work  is  not  going  on  before  then,  such  as  emergency 
cases,  attention  to  in-patients,  etc.,  as  may  be  necessary), 
and  all  from  the  different  hospitals,  medical  and  maternity 
schools,  men,  women,  and  children  are,  when  possible, 
expected   to    be   present.       This    service    and    evening 


138    DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

prayers  (at  the  latter  only  men  attend)  are  conducted  by 
the  foreign  doctors  and  native  evangelists  and  assistants 
in  turn  on  each  day  in  the  v^eek.  At  g  o'clock  Drs.  Main 
and  Kember  begin  their  work  with  the  in-patients  ; 
Mr.  Morgan  goes  to  the  dispensary  to  attend  to  medicines 
and  help  the  dispensers  and  pupils  learning  this  work. 
Dr.  Kember  visits  the  men's  wards  with  house-physician 
and  students,  who  have  already  been  seeing  to  cases  before 
the  doctor's  visit,  and  gives  them  a  clinical  lecture.  At 
the  same  time  Dr.  Main  visits  the  women's  hospital  with 
Mrs.  Main,  Miss  Morris,  and  girl-assistants  and  pupil- 
nurses,  and  lectures  to  the  pupils  on  certain  days  in  the 
week.  Operations  of  any  importance  are  done  by  Dr. 
Main  in  the  women's  hospital  on  Wednesdays  at  9  o'clock  ; 
minor  ones  are  done  as  the  occasion  requires.  This  rule 
applies  to  the  men's  hospital  also,  though  there  it  is 
impossible  to  keep  to  a  regular  day  or  days. 

Visits  to  hospitals  being  over,  the  out-patients,  who  are 
probably  waiting  for  some  time,  have  to  be  attended  to, 
and  while  Dr.  Main  and  assistants  are  seeing  and 
prescribing  for  them.  Dr.  Kember  and  students  are  as 
busy  as  possible  in  the  surgery  attending  to  minor 
operations,  teeth  pulling,  etc.,  etc.  After  out-patients  are 
seen,  and  sometimes  on  certain  days  wedged  in  before, 
lectures  to  medical  and  maternity  students  have  to  be 
given  till  12.15. 

Then  comes  an  interval  of  three-quarters  of  an  hour  for 
lunch,  after  which  work  recommences.  Correspondence, 
giving  orders,  writing  up  cases,  teaching  students,  more 
attention  to  in-patients,  accounts,  and  the  hundred  and 
one  things  that  crop  up  without  arrangement,  and 
emergency  cases,  must  be  attended  to  by  one  or  other  of 
the  doctors  at  the  hospital  ;  while  the  other  one  has 
medical  visits  to  pay  to  the  Custom  House  and  staff 
bi-weekly,  six  miles  distant,  as  well  as  visits  to  foreign  and 
native    patients,   to   the  various   institutions   which    we 


APPENDIX  139 

have  already  said  are  outside  of  the  city,  as  each  day 
requires. 

In  the  evening  there  is  often  translation  work  on  hand, 
or  (as  lately)  much  behindhand,  and  matters  connected 
with  hospital  and  college,  which  have  had  no  chance  for 
consultation  in  the  day,  are  often  attended  to  then. 
Medical  and  other  reading  have  to  be  thrown  in  as  it  were 
when  opportunity  occurs. 

In  answer  to  questions  asked  by  fellow-medical 
missionaries  regarding  various  methods  of  management, 
we  will,  as  far  as  possible,  refer  to  them  under  their 
different  heads  : — 

In-patients  are  seen  every  day  by  the  foreign  doctors, 
and  the  duty  of  the  house-physician  is  to  attend  to  them 
on  entrance,  put  them  in  touch  with  the  students  who  act 
as  dressers  and  see  that  each  case  is  taken  down.  On 
admission,  patients  have  a  bath  and  their  own  garments 
exchanged  for  hospital  ones  ;  theirs  being  handed  to  the 
"  middle-man,"  whom  every  patient  must  have.  As  to  a 
daily  hath  we  can  only  say  that  this  state  of  hygienic 
perfection  is  not  yet  attained  to  in  our  hospitals,  except  in 
summer,  but  we  aim  at  it,  and  in  time  hope  to  have  it 
when  foreign  nurses  can  superintend  the  male  patients. 
The  wardmen  or  male  nurses  in  charge  of  each  ward 
attend  to  the  clothing  and  bedding  of  their  respective 
wards,  and  are  responsible  and  have  to  account  for  these 
articles  on  Saturdays,  the  day  on  which  soiled  garments 
are  exchanged  for  clean.  We  shall  refer  later  to  this 
department. 

All  money  received  from  in-patients  for  their  board  and 
from  other  sources  is  paid  to  the  registrar,  who  gives 
account  of,  and  pays  to,  the  doctors  in  charge ;  likewise 
all  money  received  from  sales  of  medicine  is  paid  to  the 
chemist.  All  accounts  with  the  registrar,  hospital  buyer, 
cook  and  workmen  are  paid  on  Saturdays.  A  question 
difficult  to  answer  is,  ''  How  far  certain  helpers  can  be 


140     DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "HEAVEN-BELOW" 

trusted  ?  "  One  can  only  answer  by  saying:  *' We  trust 
as  far  as  eye  can  see,  and  when  out  of  sight,  walk 
by  faith  !  " 

Out-patients  are  seen  every  day  by  the  foreign  doctors, 
and  only  by  native  assistants  alone  when  both  medical 
men  are  urgently  called  away.  Consultation  cases  are 
seen  at  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  for  each  visit  a 
charge  of  one  dollar  is  made.  If  the  patient  is  seen  at  his  or 
her  house  the  fee  is  ten  dollars  during  the  day  and  twenty 
dollars  at  night.  These  fees  are  paid  in  at  the  registrar's 
office. 

House-keeping. — The  management  of  the  kitchen  applies 
to  the  men's  hospital  alone,  as  the  other  hospitals  are  run 
on  a  different  plan.  We  employ  a  head  cook,  who 
engages  other  four  to  assist  him.  The  contract  with  him 
is  at  the  rate  of  twelve  cents  per  day,  or  3*60  dollars  per 
month  for  each  patient,  which  sum  he  receives,  whether 
the  patient  is  on  special  diet  or  not. 

Bedding,  etc. — From  the  commencement  of  the  work  in 
1882  we  determined  to  provide  bedding  and  clothes  for 
the  patients,  which  plan  has  been  carried  out  till  now. 
Hitherto  the  superintendence  and  storage  of  it  has  been 
unsatisfactory,  and  Mrs.  Main  has  added  this  to  her  other 
duties  and  has  it  in  her  charge.  A  room  in  the  women's 
hospital  outbuildings  is  given  over  to  storage  of  above,  and 
on  Saturday  afternoons  all  wardmen,  with  two  native 
helpers  and  native  matron  from  the  women's  hospital, 
meet  Mrs.  Main  here.  The  wardmen,  who  have  each  a 
book,  give  in  their  list  of  soiled  linen,  and  the  helpers  in 
exchange  give  out  the  clean  garments,  sheets,  etc. ;  these 
are  entered  into  a  register,  and  when  each  wardman  has 
received  his  allotment,  the  soiled  articles  are  counted  and 
two  lists  made  out ;  one  taken  by  our  coolies  who  carry 
the  loads  to  the  city  washerman  and  one  kept  for  ourselves. 
A  receipt  is  brought  back  from  the  washerman,  and  at 
the  end  of  the  week  the  clothes  are  counted  and  checked. 


APPENDIX  141 

Each  wardman  has  so  many  things  given  for  the  use  of 
his  ward,  for  which  he  has  to  give  an  account  at  the  end 
of  the  month  ;  garments,  etc.,  beyond  repair  are  put 
aside  for  other  purposes,  and  an  entry  is  kept  of  all  such 
for  deduction  from  the  list.  Only  by  being  present,  and 
attending  to  details  herself  on  the  giving-out  day,  can  Mrs. 
Main  keep  the  inventory  up  to  the  mark,  and  even  then 
there  are  ways  and  means  of  lessening  the  total  which  are 
almost  beyond  control. 

Evangelistic. — Seven  or  eight  years  ago  a  chapel  was 
erected  in  the  compound  to  meet  the  needs  of  this  side  of 
the  work,  which  has  always  been  our  desire  to  keep  to  the 
front.  We  have  no  chaplain,  but  doctors,  evangelists  and 
assistants  all  take  a  share  in  this  part  of  the  work.  Two 
services  are  held  on  Sundays  ;  the  morning  one  is  very 
well  attended,  the  chapel  being  full.  Morning  and  evening 
prayers  are  held  in  it,  different  members  of  the  hospital 
staff  taking  in  turn  the  lead.  The  morning  lesson  is 
chosen,  read  by  the  male  element  who  can  read  verse  by 
verse,  and  thereafter  follow  explanation  and  prayer.  A 
weekly  prayer  meeting  is  always  conducted  by  Dr.  Main, 
and  preaching  and  bedside  teaching  have  their  appointed 
time  in  the  work  of  the  hospital.  Just  now  evangelists 
are  scarce,  and  the  important  work  of  visiting  patients  at 
their  homes  in  country  villages  and  towns  cannot  be  fully 
taken  advantage  of.  Tract  distribution  and  sale  of 
Scripture  portions  are  also  amongst  the  efforts  made  to 
reach  the  heathen.  Bible  classes  for  students  and  others 
connected  with  the  work,  are  conducted  on  various  days 
of  the  week. 

Women's  Hospital,  Maternity  Home,  Lepers  and  Children's 
Home,  are  under  Mrs.  Main's  personal  superintendence. 
Each  is  a  distinct  building  and  managed  separately. 
Patients  are  registered  at  the  general  office  and  escorted 
to  the  hospital  by  the  porter.  Their  names,  etc.,  are  also 
entered  in  the  registers  of  the  above  hospitals,  as  the  case 


142      DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW » 

requires,  by  the  head-assistant  in  charge.  Rules  and 
regulations  for  the  conduct  of  the  hospitals  are  hung  at 
each  entrance.  We  employ  in  the  women's  hospital  only 
women  servants,  with  the  exception  of  an  outside  coolie. 
The  buying,  cooking,  washing,  and  sewing  are  done  by 
them.  There  is  a  matron  and  three  nurse-amahs,  head 
assistant  and  three  assistant-pupils  and  two  new  pupils. 
Each  has  her  distinct  work  and  wards  allotted  to  her; 
the  patients'  case  is  taken  by  the  assistant  in  charge, 
which  she  reads  to  the  doctor  on  his  morning  visit. 
They  prepare  for  operations,  sterilising  dressings  and 
instruments,  etc.,  attend  lectures  in  class  and  at  the  clinic. 
All  money  received  from  patients'  board  and  paid  out  for 
food  and  furnishings,  etc.,  are  in  charge  of  Miss  Chow, 
head  assistant,  who  keeps  the  daily  accounts  and  pays  in 
to  Mrs.  Main,  every  Saturday,  who  keeps  the  accounts  for 
the  above  hospitals,  etc.  We  have  now  obtained  the 
valuable  help  of  Nurse  Morris,  who  has  recently  come  out 
from  England,  and  has  commenced  this  year  to  give 
regular  assistance  and  take  up  the  superintendence  of  the 
nursing,  and  in  time  we  hope  will  have  classes  for  train- 
ing nurses. 

Maternity  Hospital  and  Training  School  has  special  rules 
and  regulations.  Patients  are  admitted  free  and,  as  the 
work  is  a  "  new  venture,"  arrangements  were  made,  with 
some  of  the  gentry  who  subscribe  towards  its  support,  to 
receive  pupils  on  these  lines  for  three  years.  The  first 
class  of  students  finished  the  prescribed  course  last  year 
and  received  certificates  qualifying  them  to  practice 
midwifery.  Some  of  the  graduates  have  remained  with 
us  to  assist  in  the  work  of  the  hospital  ;  they  receive  no 
remuneration  for  their  services  from  us.  We  have 
constant  calls  to  attend  cases  at  their  homes.  No  charge 
is  made,  nor  are  the  pupils  allowed  to  receive  money, 
though  they  may  accept  presents  in  kind.  All  contribu- 
tions  from   these   patients,   in   gratitude    for    assistance 


APPENDIX  143 

rendered,  are  put  to  the  funds  of  the  Maternity  Hospital. 
There  are  at  present  eighteen  pupils  in  training  who  have 
passed  the  preliminary  two  months'  course  and  will 
remain  till  the  regulation  course  is  finished.  Though 
most  of  them  can  read  and  a  good  many  write  the 
character,  we  have  to  teach  them  the  romanised  letters  in 
the  Hangchow  dialect  to  enable  them  to  take  notes  of 
lectures,  which  can  be  done  by  the  romanization  more 
quickly  than  the  written  character.  Lectures  are  given 
by  Drs.  Main  and  Liu.  There  is  a  matron  in  charge, 
and  one  of  the  former  pupils  helps  them  in  going  over 
some  of  the  lectures  with  them.  This  new  branch  of 
work  has  already  proved  a  boon  and  blessing  to  many  a 
poor  and  rich  woman  in  her  time  of  trial.  We  hope  it 
may  in  future  extend  and  multiply  its  usefulness. 

The  above  account  of  the  work  may  not  give  those 
who  read  it  a  very  intelligent  idea  of  the  method  of 
procedure,  but  it  is  impossible  to  go  into  more  detail 
without  being  wearisome  ;  we  therefore  recommend  those 
who  would  like  to  know  more  to  come  and  see  it.  But 
what  has  been  written  may  be  of  some  help  to  those  who 
are  beginning  their  life's  work,  and  to  them  we  would 
say  that  without  grace,  grit,  method,  regularity,  and 
punctuality  no  work  can  be  carried  on  with  satisfaction, 
and  we  know  that  the  carrying  on  of  this  medical  mission 
would  be  impossible  without  attention  to  these  things. 


144     DOCTOR  APRICOT   OF  "  HEAVEN-BELOW » 


Opium 

Opium  ash  .. 
Mercury 

10-15  years  .. 
16-20  „  .. 
21-30  „  .. 
31-40      „      .. 

I  gr.-5  grs.  . 
6  grs.  I  mace 
I  ounce 

Quarrels 


Statistics  of  the  Work. 

Number  of  Patients  treated  during  1908  :— - 

Out-patients  (registered  on  first  visit  only)      19,090 

In-patients,  Male 892 

Female  ...         449 

Lepers  39 

Opium  smokers        33 

Convalescent  Homes  66 

Maternity  wards      92 

1,571 

Accouchemenls  (out-visits) 67 

Suicides  ...         ...         ...         222 

Operations  (under  chloroform)        404 

Suicides. 

222  were  treated  at  hospital. 

Poison  used. 

208         Salt  3 

3         Gold  4 

I         Unknown 3 

Ages  of  Patients. 

9        41-50  years  18 

34        51-60    „  9 

99        61-70    „  2 

51 

Amount  of  Opium  used. 

161         Unknown       and       other 

49  poisons II 

I 

Reasons  for  Attemping  Suicide. 

218         Unknown  4 

Results. 
Saved  218        Died         4 

Maternity  Cases. 

Cases  in  maternity  wards 

Cases  outside,  in  homes        

Difficult  labours         ...         

Forceps  cases 

Turning  

Perforation  of  head 

Maternal  mortality  (typhus  fever) 

Foetal  mortality         


92 

67—159 
43 
27 

9 

3 

2 

27 


DATE  DUE 

%Pi 

m 

HIGHSMITH        #  WPM 

